NBA starts inquest into sexual harassment claims against UNICAL dean, petitions Yunusa-Ari

The Nigerian Bar Association on Saturday formed an ad hoc committee to look into the claims of sexual assault against the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, who is currently on suspension.

First Vice President of the NBA Linda Rose Bala, Assistant General Secretary Daniel Kip, Chairperson of the NBA Women’s Forum, and Chairman of the NBA Calabar Branch are all members of the committee.

The NBA also filed complaints against Ifunanya Excel Grant, a young attorney with the Aba Branch who is well known as “the Baddest lawyer” on social media, and Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the suspended resident electoral commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Adamawa State.

The complaints against Miss Ifunanya focused on her reputation on social media for posting images and videos of herself naked and smoking marijuana, while Yunusa-Ari was petitioned over his part in illegally announcing the outcome of the supplementary governorship election in 2023 in Adamawa State while ballots were still being counted.

A statement issued on Saturday by the National Publicity Secretary of NBA, Akorede Habeeb Lawal, said the decision was reached by the National Executive Committee of the body at her recent monthly meeting presided over by its President, Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau and attended by all national officers.

Read Also: INEC files six count charge against suspended Adamawa REC, Yunusa-Ari

The statement said, “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 lecturer.

“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 letter dated August 16, 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 against Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the suspended Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission and Ifunanya Excel Grant, a young lawyer of Aba Branch widely known as “the Baddest lawyer” on social media.

“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.”

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