NBA to probe alleged ‘randy’ UNICAL lecturer, Baddest lawyer Ifunanya, Yunusa Ari, others

 

The suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof. Cyril Ndifon, accused of sexual assault, will be investigated by the Nigerian Bar Association.

In a statement made available to journalists on Saturday, the legal organisation claimed that its National Executive Committee, or NEC, decided to look into accusations of professional misconduct against Prof. Ndifon at a recent meeting that was chaired by NBA President Mr. Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, SAN.

The NBA, the nation’s main organisation for lawyers, emphasised that all of its National Officers were present at the meeting and concurred that any concerns brought up against the law professor merited investigation.

Recall, during a demonstration in the university, some female law students accused Prof. Ndifon of sexually harassing them.

In a statement released in response to the development and signed by Akorede Lawal, the NBA stated it has appointed an ad hoc committee to look into the claims.

The group claimed it has also asked for more information regarding an alleged effort to bribe a judge who is now hearing cases related to the most recent elections for the National Assembly and State House Assembly in Kano State.

Furthermore, the NBA claimed that in addition to bringing Mr. Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the suspended State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State, before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), it also demanded an investigation into Miss Ifunanya Excel Grant, a young attorney from the Aba Branch who is well-known online as “the baddest lawyer” and who smokes marijuana.

The statement, read: “The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has resolved to investigate the allegations of sexual assault against the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Ndifon.

“This decision was reached by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NBA at her recent monthly meeting presided over by the NBA President, Mr Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, OON SAN and which had all National Officers of the association in attendance.

“The NBA NEC subsequently empanelled an ad-hoc committee comprising the 1st Vice President of the NBA, Mrs Linda Rose Bala, the Assistant General Secretary of the NBA, Mr Daniel Kip, Chairperson of NBA Women’s Forum and the Chairman of the NBA Calabar Branch, to investigate the allegations against the University Don.

“You may also be aware of the recent media report of the attempted bribe of Justice Flora Azinge of the National Assembly and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kano.

“The NBA has, by a letter dated 16th August 2023, formally requested his lordship to avail the NBA of further details in this regard to enable investigation into this allegation.

“In a similar vein, the National Officers also deliberated at their earlier monthly meeting over the unbecoming conduct of some members of the legal profession. Following the resolutions of the National Officers, the NBA has filed petitions at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) against Mr Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the suspended Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Ifunanya Excel Grant, a young lawyer of Aba Branch wildly known as ‘the baddest lawyer’ on social media.

“Mr Yunusa-Ari was petitioned over his role in illegally declaring the result of the supplementary 2023 gubernatorial election in Adamawa State while votes were still being counted. While the complaints against Miss Ifunanya centred on her social media notoriety of posting pictures and videos of herself unclad and smoking marijuana.

“While it is important to underscore the fact that none of the lawyers petitioned or being investigated is deemed guilty of professional misconduct until the LPDC hands down its decisions after fair trial, the NBA President has emphasised the need for lawyers to continue to be of best conduct wherever they find themselves, and he reiterated that the present NBA leadership will not relent in ridding the profession of the very few bad eggs that may be found,” the statement added.