The suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof. Cyril Ndifon, has raised the alarm over the alleged threat to his life.
Ndifon raised the alarm during a chat with newsmen on Monday after a church service at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
The embattled professor said some unidentified security personnel came looking for him in the church in a bid to arrest him, claiming that those behind his ordeal sent the people.
Ndifon explained that he was in Church at about 8: 18 a.m. doing his duty as a church warden when some men who claimed to be security officers came to arrest him but disappeared into thin air before the Rev. Father and some parishioners could question them.
He said: “Today, I went to church by 8:15 am, where I serve as a churchwarden and while in church much later, towards the end, we got wind that some individuals had come into the church and went to see the catechist and informed him that they came to arrest somebody,
“From what I understand, the catechist asked for identification, but they didn’t have any, he asked for an arrest warrant they didn’t have any then the catechist asked them to wait for him to go inform the Reverend Father, but before he could get the Priest, they all vanished.
“Here is my concern, if you are a legal security agent, why don’t you have any form of identification, especially in this era where you have cases of kidnapping in Calabar?
“This could be explained by this background in the fact that I know last week Thursday or thereabout somebody sent a video to me, showing my office was sealed by the management of the University of Calabar, so to me, there is more to this than meets the eyes.
‘I think this is a huge security concern, and I thought it wise that this is time to shout and talk about the threat to my life because that is what it looks like.
“If they are investigating, it should be done without threatening me. I haven’t threatened anybody, and I don’t think a threat should be issued to me.”
The embattled lecturer, who gave reasons for his refusal to attend the panel set up by the University, explained that the panel was unknown to his status as a lecturer in the University.
Speaking further, he appealed to the government, both state and Federal, including well-meaning Nigerians, to wade into the issue as it concerns a threat to his life.
He added: “That panel is unknown to my status as a lecturer at the University of Calabar, I am a professor of law, and I think the right thing should be done, I’m not scared of appearing in any panel.
“I have gone to court, I have given my reasons, I have challenged the status of the panel, why should I appear before a panel, it is a bit laughable”
“They have already joined issues with me in court, so let’s go to court and address it, but they haven’t invited me that is what I can say for sure.”
