By PATRICK ABANG, Calabar –
The former Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL) Prof. Cyril Ndifon has raised alarm over threat to his life.
The embattled former Dean disclosed this to some newsmen in Calabar shortly after the Mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Akim Barrack, Calabar, Cross River State’s capital.
It would be recalled that about two months, students of the Faculty of Law from the institution have accused Prof. Ndifon of sexual harassment and high handedness.
This has been a trending issue both on social media and the national dailies. The issue had also attracted the federal government through the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Uju Kennedy, who tried to wade in.
But Prof. Ndifon in his reaction, accused the School management of sending some men, who disguised as security officials to kidnap him during church service in Calabar.
According to him, he was in Church at about 8: 18 am doing his duty as a church warden when some men who claimed to be security officer came to arrest him but disappeared into thin air before the Rev. Father and some parishioners could question them.
“Today, I went to church by 8:15 am, where I serve as a church warden and while in church much later towards the end, we got wined that some individuals had come into church and went to see the catechist and inform him that they came to arrest somebody, and the catechist from what we understood asked for identification, they didn’t have any, he asked for search warrant they didn’t have any, then the catechist asked them to wait for him to go inform the Reverend Father but on getting there, they have disappeared into thin air.
“From my discussion with the catechist, later I realized that the people complained that they had to come to church because they felt Akpabuyo is not safe . Here is my concern, if you are such a legal security agency, why don’t you have any form of identification especially in this era where you have cases of kidnapping in Calabar? This could be explained at this background in the fact that I know last week Thursday or thereabout somebody sent a video to me, showing my office was sealed by the management of the University of Calabar. So to me, there is more to this that meets the eyes.
I think this needs a security concern and I thought it is time to shout and talk about the threat to my life because that is what it looks like. If they are investigating, it should be done without threatening me. I haven’t threatened anybody and I don’t think threat should be issued to me.
“The manner the sealing was done its obvious; I am still a staff of the University of Calabar no matter what it is. So why would they stop me from going to my office. What if I have my personal things I want to take from my office? So it is a bit shocking that people should go to the level of sealing my office.”
On why he has refused to attend the panel summon, Ndifon said, “That panel is unknown to my status as a lecturer in the University of Calabar, I am a Professor of Law and I think the right thing should be done. I’m not scared of appearing in any panel , I have gone to court, I have given my reasons, I have challenged the status of the panel. Why should I appear before a panel? It is a bit laughable”
“They have already joined issues with me in court. So let’s go to court and address it, but they haven’t invited me, that is what I can say for sure.”
Ndifon, however, appealed to the state and federal government agencies concern and well-meaning Nigerians to wade into the issue as it concerns threat to his life.
“I am calling on well-meaning Cross Riverians , government agencies, all men and women of good conscience to fell very concerned about this little threat especially with the state of kidnapping in cross river.”
Some of the witnesses, who spoke on the issue condemned the alleged kidnapping attempt and threat to Ndifon’s life in totality.
One of the witnesses, who pleaded anonymity said, “we saw strange people came into the church armed, pretending to be security operatives but we suspected to be kidnappers. They said they were here to arrest Prof. Ndifon but they have no identity on them and no warrant of arrest, before we knew it, they disappeared into thin air.
“One person that accosted them at the gate rightly informed us that they said they were sent from the University of Calabar and one would begin to wonder, a personality like Prof. Ndifon , why can’t the so called security officials invite him officially? Why come to the church on a Sunday?”
According to another witness, “ It is surprising thing that we witnessed in church today in a place as enclosed as this , you can’t just come in here and harass any individual the way they did today. This is a matter that is already before the court, why not allow the law takes its course. And for an individual or group of people to barge into a worshiping community and demand to have Prof. Ndifon picked, that is a serious issue and a threat to his life. It is clear that those people are either kidnappers or assassins. Why did they disappeared into the thing air if they are actually from the security agency, so his life is at stake and we are shouting and crying out loud that government should wade in to safe this situation before it gets out of hand.”
Also speaking, one of the church wardens who witnessed the happening said, “As a parishioner, I condemned what happened today in all totality. It is very clear that the issue of Prof. Ndifon and the school authority is being taking out of proportion completely. What we saw, it is clear that there are people who are after his life and we as a church completely in all totality condemn it. And crying out loud, Prof. Ndifon is a renowned citizen of this country so any law enforcement agency that has issues with should have invited him officially but they didn’t present all of that, it is clear, this is a calculated attempt to kidnap him and we as a church condemned it in totality.” He lamented.
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