*Pix above: Prof Ndifon during the trial
The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, accepted Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, as surety for the bail earlier granted the suspended Dean of Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof Cyril Ndifon, who is standing trial on sexual harassment charges.
The judge, James Omotosho, in a ruling, also accepted Okon Efut, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as Mr Ndifon’s second surety in the four-count charge preferred against him and his lawyer, Sunny Anyanwu, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The court earlier on Wednesday ruled that Prof Ndifon and his co-defendant had a case to answer, and ordered them to enter their defence against the evidence presented by the prosecution.
In the sexual harassment case, ICPC alleged that Prof Ndifon, while being the Dean of the Faculty Law, UNICAL, last year, requested a female diploma student to send her “pornographic, indecent and obscene photographs of herself” to him through Whatsapp chats.
The co-defendant, Sunny Anyanwu, a lawyer who was later joined as a defendant in the case, is charged with trying to interfere with the star prosecution witness, during the pendency of the trial .
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sen Ndoma-Egba, a three-time senator, represented the Cross River Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
Old bail conditions
NAN reports that Justice Omotosho had, on 9 February, granted bail to Prof Ndifon in the sum of N250 million with two sureties in the like sum.
The judge held that the two sureties, who must be owners of landed property in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, with registered titles and a minimum valuation of N150 million, must submit their certified bank statements to the registrar of the court. He also directed Prof Ndifon to submit his passport to the court registrar.
The judge ordered the suspended dean to sign an undertaking not to interfere with the case, be ready to stand his trial and not delay the trial.
Request for variation of bail conditions
But Prof Ndifon, through his counsel, Joe Agi, a SAN, had, on 27 February, applied that the bail conditions earlier granted him be varied because he was unable to meet the terms set by the judge.
In the motion, Mr Agi sought an order varying Ndifon’s bail terms, in addition to seeking an order granting the application that Sen Ndoma-Egba and Efut be admitted as his sureties.
The lawyer prayed the court to exercise its discretion in favour of his client by releasing him to the intending sureties based on public recognition.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Omotosho held that since the charges against Prof Ndifon were not capital offences, the court was inclined to exercising the discretion in his favour.
He said bail is a constitutional right guaranteed for any person facing criminal charges.
The judge, who earlier admitted Prof Ndifon to the sum of N250 million bail, directed that the two sureties shall be Ndoma-Egba and Efut as suggested by the don./PLEASE SHARE
