By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
Suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Prof Cyril Ndifon, has dragged the Vice Chancellor, VC, of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, and other principal officers of the institution to the National Industrial Court, NIC, to challenge what he described as unlawful removal from office as the Faculty Dean and defamation of character.
Ndifon is also challenging the constitutionality and action of the VC of throwing him out from office as Dean and for barring his movement to and fro the premises of the institution.
Ndifon wondered if the VC has the right to curtail his movement to and from the premises of the institution after alleged sponsorship of protest by handpicked year-one and two law students, who as a dean he doesn’t teach, simply because he wanted him out from office as dean, a position he occupied via a keenly contested faculty election.
In suit number: NICN/CA/42/2023, between Prof. Cyril Ndifon – claimant – and the Vice Chancellor, University of Calabar, and other three defendants, the embattled law professor expressed anger over what he described as dragging the image which he had built over the years into the mud despite his innocence.
The Form 45 from the originating summons, the NIC, Calabar Judicial Division, holding at Calabar, stated that other defendants in the suit, apart from the Unical VC, include the Unical Registrar, Unical and Prof. Dorathy Oluwagbemi-Jacob.
The summons asked the defendants, to, within eight days after service of the summon on them, cause an appearance to be entered to this summon.
The summons stated, “If the defendants do not enter appearance within the time and at the place above-mentioned, such order will be made and proceedings taken as the judge may think just and expedient.”
Exhibit 9, which emanated from an affidavit attempting to set the facts relied upon, Ndifon accused the Vice Chancellor of ganging up with the President of Law Students Association of Nigeria, LAWSAN – Unical chapter – Mr. Obi Benedict Otu, with her nice, Destiny Omokiti, to stage-manage a protest against him that he can be pursued from the deanship position.
The affidavit setting out the fact to be relied upon said, “Shortly after the said protest, Mr. Obi Benedict Otu, issued a press release, where he revealed that he deliberately hid his intention and real purpose of protest from innocent students, who were freshers and upon their concealment of purpose, tendered a public apology, that excerpt went viral at the social media.
“My right and freedom of movement to the University of Calabar premises has been restricted and curtailed by the order of the Vice Chancellor. I am gravely prejudiced on account thereof.
“To remove me from office as Dean of Law Faculty without any prior vote taken at a meeting of the Faculty of Law board for the purpose, constitutes a departure from the prescriptions of the University of Calabar Act.”
A statement from the right of summons said, “By virtue of exhibit 10, the panel headed by four defendants is not Management Disciplinary Committee, as established and provided for by extant regulations governing Conditions of Service of staff of Unical.
“The panel lacks the locus and competence to undertake the assignment in it’s term of assignments.
“I am greatly prejudiced and subjected to excruciating psychological pains, trauma and anguish on the account of the above-stated acts of the defendants.”
However, when our correspondent reached out via a telephone call Unical Public Relations Officer, PRO, Mr Effiong Eyo, to get the institution reaction concerning the issue, Eyo averred that the university management only set up a panel of enquiry to investigate allegations raised against the embattled Dean of Law Faculty.
Eyo said, “The panel has not found Ndifon or any one guilty, nor indicted him at a moment, what we did was to investigate the alleged misconduct, but since he felt court was the only option we will be there for hearing.”
