Appeal Court Upholds Two-Year Jail Term For Ex-Unical Dean Ndifon

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the two-year prison sentence imposed on former Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Professor Cyril Osim Ndifon, for soliciting pornographic, indecent and obscene photographs from a female student.

The appellate court affirmed Ndifon’s conviction on Count One of the charge but ordered that he be prosecuted afresh on a separate count alleging that he conferred an undue advantage on himself, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission said on Friday.

The ICPC disclosed this in a statement signed by its Head of Media and Public Communications, J. Okor Odey.
The judgment was delivered on September 18, 2026, in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CR/1798/2025.

Ndifon was initially convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, on November 17, 2025.

The trial court found him guilty of soliciting pornographic, indecent and obscene photographs from a female student through electronic communication while he was Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar.

The offence was prosecuted under Section 24 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
The Federal High Court sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment on Count One and five years on Count Two, with the sentences ordered to run concurrently and without an option of fine.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, Ndifon appealed, challenging both his conviction and sentence.

However, the Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction and two-year custodial sentence on Count One, effectively sustaining the finding that the prosecution had proved the cybercrime-related offence beyond reasonable doubt.

The ICPC said the evidence before the trial court included communications between Ndifon and a female student, including electronic communications relied upon by the prosecution.

The commission said the allegation in Count One specifically concerned Ndifon’s solicitation of pornographic, indecent and obscene photographs from the student.
However, the appellate court disagreed with the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction over Count Two, which alleged that Ndifon conferred an undue advantage on himself contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

According to the ICPC, the Court of Appeal held that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the offence under the ICPC Act.

The appellate court consequently ordered the prosecution to commence proceedings against Ndifon on the count before the High Court of Cross River State.
The ICPC said it was taking steps to challenge the jurisdictional aspect of the judgment before a higher court.

The commission stressed that the decision concerning Count Two did not affect the appellate court’s affirmation of Ndifon’s conviction and sentence on Count One.

“The conviction for soliciting pornographic, indecent and obscene photographs from a student remains affirmed by the Court of Appeal,” the commission said.

Ndifon’s case arose from allegations concerning his conduct towards female students while he was Dean of the University of Calabar’s Faculty of Law.
The ICPC said it would continue to pursue the case through available legal channels while respecting the decisions of the courts.

The commission also reaffirmed its commitment to prosecuting alleged corruption, abuse of office and related offences, particularly where institutional authority is allegedly used to exploit persons under an accused person’s influence.