PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT: NBA TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AGAINST PROF CYRIL NDIFON OF UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR AND ATTEMPTED BRIBE OF ELECTION PETITION JUDGE; PETITIONED LPDC OVER CONDUCT OF SUSPENDED ADAMAWA INEC REC AND MISS IFUNANYA EXCEL GRANT ALIAS “THE BADDEST LAWYER”
Akorede Habeeb Lawal
Publicity Secretary, Nigerian Bar Association (2022-2024)
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 latter 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.
Akorede Habeeb Lawal
National Publicity Secretary
Ifunanya Grant-Excel
Ifunanya Grant-Excel is a young model, influencer and lawyer. She has a habit of creating social media posts in which she is drinking, smoking certain substances and wearing very little. Someone on Twitter leaked her nude photos a few months ago (it is claimed that she shares her nude photos on private snapchat posts and those posts are only visible to people who pay her). She said that she wished that her nude photograph was not leaked, but she doesn’t regret it because it was sexy.
There were rumours that she had been suspended by the NBA a few months ago, but she said that she was not suspended.
Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner Hudu Yunusa-Ari
Hudu Yunusa-Ari was the Adamawa State resident electoral commissioner. He declared Aishatu Dahiru (Binani) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship election while counting was still going on. INEC nullified his declaration and suspended him. He was later arrested by the police and he is currently undergoing trial.
Adamawa: The Declaration Of Binani As Winner By The REC Is Void – INEC
Pofessor Cyril Ndifon
Professor Cyil Ndifon is the dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar. Students of the faculty recently staged a protest in which they accused him of sexually harassing them. He has previously been suspended for similar issues. The university has suspended him again.
