THE Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, January 31, declined hearing of the bail applications filed by the suspended Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, and his co-defendant, Sunny Anyanwu.
The duo are being remanded over allegations of sexual harassment against Ndifon.
Justice James Omotosho held that the bail applications of the defendants would be taken after the testimony of the star witness, identified as TKJ, to protect the witness.
Defence Counsel, Joe Agi (SAN) had pleaded with the court to hear the bail applications of his clients shortly after Lucy-Ogechi Chima, an investigator with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) finished testifying as a prosecution witness and was discharged from the witness box.
But the Judge ruled: “I must take the statement of the victim witness first before considering bail for the defendants, so that there won’t be interference.”
He subsequently adjourned the matter until Thursday for continuation of trial.
Ndifon was on January 25 re-arraigned alongside Anyanwu on an amended four-count charge bordering on alleged sexual harassment and attempt to perverse the cause of justice.
Anyanwu, who is one of the lawyers in the defence, was joined in the amended charge filed by the ICPC on allegation that he called one of the prosecution witnesses on her mobile telephone during the pendency of the charge against Ndifon to threatened her.
Representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Nigerian League of Women Voters, Womanifesto, among others, were in court to observe the proceeding.
