The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has affirmed the two-year prison sentence imposed on former Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL), Professor Cyril Osim Ndifon, over the solicitation of pornographic, indecent and obscene photographs from a female student.
The appellate court, in its judgment in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CR/1798/2025, upheld the conviction entered against Ndifon by the Federal High Court in Abuja on the first count of the charge.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission confirmed the development in a statement issued on Friday.
Court Upholds Two-Year Sentence
Ndifon was convicted by the Federal High Court on November 17, 2025, after Justice James Omotosho held that the prosecution had established the first offence beyond reasonable doubt.
The first count was prosecuted under Section 24 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
According to the ICPC, the case centred on electronic communications between Ndifon, who was then Dean of the Faculty of Law, and a female student.
The prosecution alleged that he solicited pornographic, indecent and obscene photographs from the student through electronic communication.
The Federal High Court subsequently sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment without an option of a fine on the first count.
Five-Year Conviction Sent Back For Fresh Trial
While the Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction and sentence on the first count, it reached a different conclusion on the second count.
The second count concerned an allegation that Ndifon conferred an undue advantage on himself, contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The appellate court held that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the second count.
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It consequently ordered that Ndifon be prosecuted afresh on the charge before the High Court of Cross River State.
Ndifon had originally received a five-year sentence on the second count, with the two sentences ordered to run concurrently.
ICPC To Challenge Second-Count Ruling
The ICPC said it is taking steps to challenge the Court of Appeal’s decision on the second count before the appropriate superior court.
The commission said the jurisdictional issue surrounding the second count requires further judicial determination.
It stressed that the appellate court’s decision on the second count does not affect the conviction and two-year sentence affirmed on the first count.
Ndifon was removed as Dean of the Faculty of Law at UNICAL in 2023 following allegations concerning sexual harassment of female students.
The latest Court of Appeal decision therefore leaves his conviction on the first count intact, while the second count remains subject to further proceedings.
