The Vice Chancellor University of Calabar, Prof Florence Obi, on Friday defended the actions of the institution towards addressing the sexual assault case against the Dean of Law faculty stressing that the Institution followed due process.
The Vice Chancellor stated this in an interactive session with journalists in her office. She stressed that by setting up a fact finding panel, the management of the institution gave the suspended Dean of Law faculty, Prof. Ndifon, an opportunity to defend himself.
The VC said, “We have followed all laid down processes as stipulated by the laws of the university of Calabar in this matter.
“We set up an investigative panel which is for fact finding, it is not a disciplinary panel that should try staff and there are different procedures in the trial of a staff.
“The best you can do for a staff is to set up an investigative panel which is what we have done.
“If we believed so much what the students alleged, we would have sent him to a disciplinary panel.
“We thought we were giving our colleague an opportunity to come before the panel and say his own story and the DVC chairs the disciplinary panel.
“From the fact finding panel, we will get to the disciplinary panel so these are procedural processes. we have not violated any due process and will not violated any”.
The VC maintained that there is no injunction from the court of law against the activities of the panel and so the panel is still sitting.
While giving an insight of the viral audio purported to have emanated from the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy, the VC stated that they do not consider it expedient to respond to the disturbing things said by the Minister in the audio.
Obi stressed that students of the law faculty wrote and submitted a petition and protested against the suspended Dean adding that those who testified before the panel were not induced by any one to do so.
The Vice Chancellor maintained that authority of the Institution is poised to remain focused on doing the right thing so that the truth can come out after thorough investigation.
