Sexual Harassment: ICPC Stops UNICAL Lecturer’s Bid To Release Phones For Forensic Analysis

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has opposed the motion filed by Joe Agi (SAN), counsel to Professor Cyril Ndifon and Barrister Sunny Anyanwu, asking the court to release their telephones for forensic analysis.

The professor, a Dean of Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, was suspended on allegations of sexual harassment.

He is standing trial before Justice James Omotosho at the Federal High Court, alongside Barrister Anyanwu who is being charged for attempt to perverse the cause of justice.

According to ICPC, the offence is contrary to sections 8, 18 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and Section 182 of the Penal Code Cap. 532 Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, 2006.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, counsel to the two defendants, Agi informed the court of the two motions filed before the court dated 8th March, 2024, to a purported National Computer Forensic Laboratory.

He said the first motion was to seek leave of court against the ruling on the no case submission while the second motion hinged on a prayer for the court to direct its registrar to make available exhibits N and O (telephones of the defendants) to the defendants’ applicants.

Counsel to the ICPC, Dr. Osuobeni E. Akponimisingha did not oppose the first motion seeking the leave of court to appeal the ruling of the court dismissing the Defendants’ No Case Submission.

He however contested the second motion on the ground that the purported laboratory the defendants/ applicants asked the court to release the phones to was not in existence nor does it have a known address.

“As at now Sir, the National Computer Forensic Laboratory has not been established. If they have the address, let them provide it. To the best of my knowledge, there’s no such laboratory anywhere,” he said.

He also prayed the court for an adjournment to enable the prosecution to respond to the motion seeking the court’s permission to release the phones of the defendants to the purported National Computer Forensic Laboratory.

The judge then adjourned the trial till 19th March 2024, for hearing of the pending motion on notice.