Judge accused of taking bribe from Ricky Tarfa queried by NJC

The National Judicial Council, NJC, has queried a judge of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, Justice Muhammed Yunusa, over allegations that he received bribes from a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Rickey Tarfa.

The query is as a result of a petition from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Alhaji Abubakar Malami, SAN, to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, against the judge.

The AGF had asked the CJN to take disciplinary action by the CJN against the judge.

According to the AGF’s petition, Justice Muhammed Nasir Yunasa was alleged to have issued two conflicting and contradictory orders on July 4, 2014 in a suit No. FHC/L/CS/ 1042/2013.

The query, marked NJC/F.3/FHC.49/1/421, dated March 16, 2016 and signed by the CJN, Justice Yunusa was given 14 days to submit his response to allegations of judicial abuse, compromise and misconduct as levelled against him by a non-governmental organization – the Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC). It was sent to the judge through Justice Ibrahim Auta, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.

“I forward herewith a petition dated 21st December, 2015 against you by Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, Chairman, Civil Society Network Against Corruption, on the above subject matter.

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“The petition speaks for itself. I shall be glad to have your comments within 14 days from the date of your receipt of this letter, please”, the CJN wrote.

It is not clear however not clear if Justice Yunusa has responded to the query.

CSNAC, in the petition dated December 15, 2015, alleged that the judge had consistently refused to abide by judicial precedents laid down by superior courts in granting orders and injunctions against the EFCC.

CSNAC also alleged that the actions of Justice Yinusa were serving as “leeway for unscrupulous and corrupt individuals who will stop at nothing to truncate their arrest, investigation and prosecution by the appropriate law enforcement agencies, to render our criminal law ineffective, as well as allowing corruption fester in the society.”

According to CSNAC, granting of the orders of mandatory and perpetual injunctions by Justice Yunusa against the EFCC was a grave departure from the established principles in the mentioned cases, as laid down by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal which are binding on the Federal High Court, being a lower court.

It would be recalled that the EFCC had on February 18 arraigned Mr. Tarfa before a Lagos State High Court on a two-count charge of obstruction of justice and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

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