I gave N.75m to Justice Yinusa for mother’s medical bill, not bribe, SAN tells court

A legal practitioner, Dr. Joseph Nwobike (SAN), on Wednesday told an Ikeja High Court, Lagos, presided over by Justice Raliatu Adebiyi , that N750,000 he gave to a Federal High Court judge, Justice Mohammed Yinusa was for the medical bill of the judge’s mother and not a bribe.

Nwobike is facing 11-count charges leveled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged perversion of the course of justice, and gratification to public officials.

The EFCC further alleged that Nwobike was involved in illegal text messages with four registrars of the Federal High Court with the intention to unduly influence cases he was handling before the judges.

But testifying on the matter on Wednesday, Nwobike denied all the charges and said he has always respected court processes.

The defendant, who was led by his lawyer, Mr Olawale Akoni (SAN), explained that he became a legal practitioner and an arbitrator since December 16, 1992.

He said, “I am a SAN, who was sworn in 2010 for the 2009 set; since I was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1992, I have been in uninterrupted legal practice in Lagos and all over the country. My primary duty as a legal practitioner is to respect the court in conduct either in physical appearances or my processes before the court.

“Since I was called to the Nigerian Bar, I have never been a respondent to any form of complaint or been a party to any disciplinary proceeding before anybody constituted for that purpose.”

On how he gave the judge N750,000 he explained, “I recollect that I did a few cases against the EFCC. On a particular day, I came back from court and received a phone call from a fellow who described himself an official of the EFCC.

“He introduced himself as Mr Zakari and I recollected that in the past, I had cross-examined him in a case involving my client and the EFCC. He (Zakari) said I should come to his office to clarify an issue. I went to the EFCC thinking that the issue has to do with my client and the EFCC.

“Thirty minutes after I arrived at the EFCC office and met him, he showed me a document which I found out was a UBA statement of account of Nwobike and Co. He showed me an entry where there was a transfer of the sum of N750,000 from the account of Joseph Nwobike and Co. to the bank account of Justice Mohammed Yinusa.

Read also: NBA cautions Presidency to stop referring to judiciary as corrupt

“Zakari requested that I put in writing the reasons for that transfer. In my statement, I said I knew Justice Yinusa for quite a long time back when he was a counsel at the Federal Ministry of Justice and we became friends as lawyers.

“On one occasion, I saw him by chance and he told me that his mother was ill and was undergoing dialysis and he feared that she will die soon and N250,000 was spent daily on her treatment. I pitied him not as a judge but because he had been my friend for over 19 years. I told him that I had no money on me but I will send money when I had some money.

“He gave me his account details and we parted. When I had some money, in my own signature, I transferred N750, 000 only for that purpose. I saw him again by chance and he told me that his mother was getting better but I later found out that she died because she could not continue with the dialysis”, he stated.

Adebiyi later adjourned the case till July 3 for continuation of trial.

 

RipplesNigeria ….without borders, without fears

Click here to download the Ripples Nigeria App for latest updates

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now