UNICAL VC: We won’t take probe of dean accused of sexual assault lightly

Florence Obi, the vice-chancellor of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), says the institution will carry out an “unbiased” probe of Cyril Ndifon, the suspended dean of its faculty of law.

Ndifon was in the news after he was suspended and replaced by UNICAL over sexual harassment allegations.

Benedict Otu, the president of the Law Students Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN), had previously led some female students in a protest demanding the sack of Ndifon.

NAN reports that Obi spoke on Wednesday in Calabar when officials of the NBA, led by the first national vice president Rose Bala, paid her a courtesy visit.

The VC, who was reacting to the allegations of sexual harassment of female students and abuse of office levelled against the embattled dean, applauded what she described as the NBA’s show of concern.

Obi assured that the institution will not treat the “matter with kid gloves”, adding that “transparency” will be deployed during the investigation.

“A committee has already been set up to carry out a thorough investigation to authenticate the veracity of the allegations. The matter will not be treated with kid gloves,” she said.

“The corporate image of the institution is at stake, a cogent reason why we will ensure that fairness and transparency are deployed in the course of the investigation.”

Expressing dismay over the incident, Obi said her administration would stop at nothing to stamp out unethical practices in the institution.

The VC added that those found guilty would be made to face the full weight of the law while the university management would beam its searchlight on the faculty of law to forestall a reoccurrence.

Earlier, Bala said the essence of the visit was for the association to get the right information.

She commended Obi and the university management for their stance on the issue while stressing the need for the victims to be counselled to be able to speak up about their experiences without fear of victimisation.

Bala also requested the VC to integrate NBA members into the panel investigating the matter.