EFCC arraigns Tarfa, Nwobike for gratification

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday arraigned two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), on different charges of offering gratification to judicial officers in order to pervert justice. The accused, Ricky Tarfa and Joseph Nwobike, were arraigned in a Lagos High Court, sitting in Igbosere.

Tarfa was arraigned before Justice A. A Akintoye on a 27 -count charge bordering on ‎failure to declare his assets, refusal to declare his assets, false statement and offering of gratification to public official. The charges also included failure to declare his assets in the declaration of Assets Form administered on him by the EFCC ‎when he was arrested.

On the other hand, Nwobike was arraigned before Justice Raliat Adebiyi on a five-count charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice and offering gratification to public official.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail on self-recognition.

Part of the charge against Nwobike reads: “That you Nwobike, on the 19th day of March, 2015 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, intentionally gave the sum of N750, 000 to Hon. Justice Mohammed Nasir Yunusa of the Federal High Court directly through your United Bank for Africa Plc Account No.1002664061 in order that the said Judge acts in the exercise of his official duties.

“That on the 28th day of September, 2015 in Lagos within the jurisdiction, you intentionally gave the sum of N300, 000 to Hon. Justice Mohammed Nasir Yunusa of the Federal High Court indirectly through Awa Ajia Nigeria Limited’s account No. 0000971931 domiciled in Access Bank Plc, belonging to Hon. Justice Nganjiwa Hyeladzira Ajiya of the Federal High Court, in order that the Hon. Justice Mohammed Nasir Yunusa acts in the exercise of his official duties.”

But Nwobike, in his earlier statement to the anti-graft agency, explained that the money was not meant to bribe the judge. He said it was the judge who asked him for financial assistance in respect of his sick mother who was undergoing dialysis due to failing kidney.