‘Sexual assault’: Phones ‘containing nudes’ tendered in UNICAL professor’s trial

A federal high court in Abuja has admitted in evidence, two mobile phones seized by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), from Cyril Ndifon.

Ndifon, an erstwhile law faculty dean at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), has been at the centre of a sexual assault case.

The academic was removed as a UNICAL dean in August 2023 for alleged assault of female students and abuse of office.

A UNICAL investigative panel found the professor, who has since been replaced, guilty.

The ICPC similarly investigated the professor’s alleged gross misconduct and arrested him on October 4.

It arraigned the senior lecturer on a four-count charge bordering on sexual harassment, official corruption, and abuse of office.

Ndifon was re-arraigned on January 25, alongside a lawyer associate of his as 1st and 2nd defendants, on an amended four-count charge bordering on “alleged sexual harassment” and “attempt to pervert the course of justice”.

Both defendants were later granted bail on February 9 pending their trial.

‘NUDE PICTURES, VIDEOS’

During court proceedings on Monday, James Omotosho, the presiding judge, admitted in evidence two mobile devices belonging to Ndifon.

They include an Oppo phone and a Tecno Pova phone both seized by ICPC investigators.

The phones were tendered by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, the ICPC counsel, unopposed by Joe Agi, the defence counsel.

At the resumed trial, Akponimisingha tabled the exhibits before the court and announced the presence of two witnesses.

Tani Karngong, the third prosecution witness who is an exhibit keeper with ICPC, said he received and secured the phones seized from the suspect.

He said besides keeping exhibits, he documents and assigns them to a team for forensic analysis.

“I am the only one who has access to the exhibit room and I have hand gloves that I wear so that there will be no contamination,” he said.

The witness said the two phones were received with pouches, including two documents in respect of the phones, from their investigators on October 9, 2023.

After the phones were tendered, Omotosho signed the form brought by the witness.

Karngong was cross-examined by the defence lawyer before he was discharged from the witness box.

B.E. Fungo, the fourth prosecution witness who is a forensic and intelligence analyst with ICPC, gave his testimony.

Fungo, a certified digital forensic analyst, said he was in charge of extracting, analysing, and reporting forensic analysis findings.

He said the mobile devices of the suspended dean were submitted by investigators to the forensic division of the commission.

Fungo said the contents of the phones were analysed after an extraction and report were produced.

The witness said the extractions from the phones, all of which were stored in a USB drive, included nude videos, pictures, and text messages.

Akponimisingha tendered the USB and the certificate of compliance as evidence in support of the prosecution’s case.