The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has stood against a motion requesting the court to release the telephones of Professor Cyril Ndifon and Barrister Sunny Anyanwu to a purported National Computer Forensic Laboratory.
Ndifon, the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar, and Barrister Anyanwu are currently facing trial by ICPC before Justice James Omotosho at the Federal High Court in Abuja for alleged sexual misconduct and attempt to pervert the course of justice, contravening sections 8, 18, and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, as well as Section 182 of the Penal Code Cap. 532 Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, 2006.
During the latest hearing on Tuesday, counsel to the defendants, Mr. Joe Agi SAN, informed the court of two motions filed on March 8, 2024. He stated, “The first motion was to seek leave of court against the ruling on the no-case submission, while the second motion hinged on a prayer for the court to direct its registrar to make available exhibits N and O (telephones of the defendants) to the defendants’ applicants.”
Although counsel to the ICPC, Dr. Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha, did not oppose the first motion seeking leave of the court to appeal the ruling dismissing the Defendants’ No Case Submission, he contested the second motion. He argued that the purported laboratory the defendants/applicants asked the court to release the phones to was non-existent and lacked a known address.
“As at now Sir, the National Computer Forensic Laboratory has not been established. If they have the address, let them provide it. To the best of my knowledge, there’s no such laboratory anywhere.” He said.
He further requested an adjournment to allow the prosecution to respond to the motion seeking the court’s permission to release the phones of the defendants to the purported National Computer Forensic Laboratory.
In response, Justice J.K Omotosho adjourned the trial until March 19, 2024, for the hearing of pending motions on notice.
