NBA to investigate allegations against UNICAL Professor, Adamawa REC, Abia female lawyer
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has taken the necessary steps to investigate allegations of sexual assault made against Prof. Cyril Ndifon, the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar.
A committee has been formed, consisting of NBA 1st Vice President, Linda Rose Bala, Assistant General Secretary, Daniel Kip, the chairperson of NBA Women’s Forum, and the chairman of the NBA Calabar Branch.
Additionally, the association has filed petitions against Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Adamawa State, and Ifunanya Excel Grant, a young lawyer from the Aba Branch who is widely known on social media as “the Baddest lawyer.”
Yunusa-Ari’s petition is based on his alleged involvement in illegally declaring the result of the supplementary 2023 governorship election in Adamawa State while votes were still being counted. On the other hand, the complaints against Miss Ifunanya revolve around her notorious behavior on social media, where she has allegedly posted explicit and drug-related content.
Akorede Habeeb Lawal, the national publicity secretary of the NBA, released a statement confirming these actions. The decision was reached by the National Executive Committee of the NBA during their recent monthly meeting, presided over by President Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau and attended by all national officers.
The statement read: “The NBA NEC subsequently formed an ad-hoc committee, consisting of the 1st Vice President of the NBA, Mrs. Linda Rose Bala, the Assistant General Secretary of the NBA, Mr. Daniel Kip, the Chairperson of the NBA Women’s Forum, and the Chairman of the NBA Calabar Branch, to investigate the allegations against the university lecturer.
“In addition, the NBA has sent a letter dated August 16, 2023, to Justice Flora Azinge of the National Assembly and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Kano, requesting further details about the alleged attempted bribe reported in the media. This is to enable the NBA to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
“Furthermore, during our earlier monthly meeting, the national officers of the NBA discussed the concerning behavior exhibited by a few members of the legal profession.
In response, we have taken the step of filing petitions with the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC). The petitions are against Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Adamawa State, and Ifunanya Excel Grant, a young lawyer known as ‘the Baddest lawyer’ on social media.
The petition against Yunusa-Ari is based on his alleged involvement in illegally declaring the result of the supplementary 2023 gubernatorial election in Adamawa State while votes were still being counted. On the other hand, the complaints against Miss Ifunanya focus on her inappropriate behavior on social media, including posting explicit pictures and videos of herself as well as engaging in drug-related activities.
It is important to note that none of the lawyers being petitioned are considered guilty of professional misconduct until the LPDC completes its investigation and delivers its decisions after a fair trial. However, our President has emphasized the need for lawyers to always conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism.
The current leadership of the NBA remains committed to ensuring the integrity of our profession and will not hesitate to take action against those who tarnish its reputation.”
