Nigerian judge, senior lawyer in trouble for allegedly colluding to pervert justice

The National Judicial Council (NJC), has queried a judge of the Federal High Court, Lagos, Mohammed Yunusa, over allegations he colluded with a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ricky Tarfa, to ‘pervert the cause of justice’.

A November 19, 2015 letter by the chairman of the NJC and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mahmud Mohammed, to Justice Yunusa was sequel to a complaint by a Beninese business woman, Rachidatou Abdou, against, Messrs. Yunusa and Tarfa accusing them of “bias and unprofessional conduct on the bar and bench”.

Mrs. Abdou had alleged that she went into a business venture with a fellow Beninese, Gnahoue Nazaire, sometime in 2005 by establishing an artificial hair making industry in Lagos, which they named “Rana Prestige Industries Limited”.

She said at inception, the company had the two business partners as sole directors and shareholders.
She also alleged that an instruction was given to a lawyer tasked with registering the firm (Ferdinand Egede) to ensure that fifty per cent share capital was allocated to each of the two directors. She however, said “my co-director colluded with the lawyer and changed it to 60-40 by forging my signature on the incorporation forms and papers”.

Mrs. Abdou also claimed that her business partner diverted the company funds in connivance with his younger brother, Senou Modeste, an employee of the firm. She said all the “anomalies” were perpetuated when she travelled to France for almost six years.

“Upon my return from France, when I noticed these anomalies, I instructed my lawyer to write a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to investigate and prosecute (if need be) Mr. Gnahoue Sounou Nazaire over allegations of forgery, stealing and fraudulent conversion of company funds,”she said.