Legal Affairs

Odinkalu kicks against suspended Justice Yunusa presiding as judge

Published

2 years ago

May 19, 2023

The former Chairman of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, has kicked against Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court in Lagos, who was suspended in 2016, presiding as a judge in 2023.

Prof. Odinkalu raised a red flag on his Twitter handle, @ChidiOdinkalu, on Friday, May 19.

Justice Yunusa was suspended over acts of misconduct involving bribery by the National Judicial Council (NJC) in July 2016.

He was later prosecuted for bribery.

He had been arraigned before Justice S. O Solebo of the Lagos State High Court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of unlawful gratification and attempt to pervert justice, alongside one Esther Agbor, an employee of Rickey Tarfa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Former Chairman of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

Both persons were accused of engaging in constant private and confidential telephone communications with Tarfa, while Yunusa was presiding over a case being handled by Tarfa.

Yunusa also allegedly agreed to receive the sum of N1.5 million in order to give a decision in Tarfa’s favour.

They pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, after which Yunusa’s counsel urged the court to grant his client bail on self-recognizance, as he was still a serving judge and has not been dismissed by the Federal government.

Similarly, John Odubela, counsel to the second defendant, asked the court to grant her bail on self-recognizance or on liberal terms, arguing that she is a nursing mother, who is having some health challenges.

Ruling, the presiding Judge granted Justice Yunusa bail on self-recognizance without any financial undertaking, while ordering him not to travel outside the court’s jurisdiction without duly notifying it.

He ordered the EFCC to hand over Yunusa’s international passport to the court’s registrar.

Yunusa, who stood trial on bribery charges for three years, was reinstated to his position after serving almost five years suspension.

However, it was gathered the he was reinstated after serving five years suspension as his bribery charges case was terminated in January 2021 based on an NJC letter that cleared him of different allegation of misconduct in December 2020.

Reacting to the development, Odinkalu tweeted:

“This is a 2018 report on the trial of MN Yinusa, a judge, on a “five-count charge of unlawful gratification and attempt to pervert justice.” Ask yourself why this same person is back sitting as a judge in 2023.” Read more.