Alumni members of the leading law firm, Rickey Tarfa & Company have been pouring encomiums on the Founder and Principal Partner of the firm, Mr. Rickey Tarfa (SAN), as he turns 64 years today.

The significant list of alumni includes judges, no less than nine Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) and several senior members of the Bar.

Among the senior advocates produced by the firm was the late Mr. John Olusegun Odubela SAN. Others are Messrs Olusegun Jolaawo SAN, Andrew Mwajim Malgwi SAN, Mustapha Ibrahim Shaba SAN, Kola Olowookere SAN, Aondo Terkaa SAN, Tochukwu P. Tochukwu SAN, and Yemi Pitan SAN.

A native of Garkida in Gombi local council of Adamawa State, Mr. Tarfa was the first lawyer from that state to take silk.

A Notary Public of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Tarfa holds an upper Second Class honours degree in Law of the University of Maiduguri and a Master of Laws Degree (LL. M.) from the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

He has attended several courses locally and overseas, including the 29th Maritime Short Course, Southampton, United Kingdom. He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the International Bar Association (IBA).

Reputed as arguably Nigeria’s foremost criminal defence lawyer, Tarfa has been involved in many landmark cases, including the the presidential election petition as well as the successful defence of the mandate of Comrade Adams Aliu Oshiomhole, to name a few. He was also a member of the Panel of Inquiry appointed by the Federal Government to investigate the activities of then National Electric Power Authority (NEPA).

A well-traveled and happily married man, Mr. Tarfa has several awards to his name. These include the Paul Harris Fellow Award (Rotary International, 2007), Lawyer of the Year 2001(City People Awards for Excellence), Rotary Excellence Award (2003), Men of Achievement Award (Corporate Press, 2007), Law Personality of the Year 2004 (Fame Achievers’ Award, 2004), and Life Patron, National Association of Judicial Correspondents (2003).

He heads the leading law firm which he founded in 1988. The firm has grown from a one-office company of three staff to one of the largest law firms in Nigeria.

With an affiliate firm in the United States of America, Rickey Tarfa & Co. is listed in the KIMES International Directory and the Chambers Global Legal Directory. The firm has several local and foreign blue-chip companies and leading individuals among its clientele, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), and several banks.

According to social media posts seen by CITY LAWYER, among those who have hailed the senior lawyer on his birthday is Mr. Emma Okah who wrote: “Congratulations, my Boss, a good man, detribalised, amiable, humble, considerate and urbane. May you live the longest and happiest!”

On his part, Mr. Debo Oladinni wrote, “Happy birthday to my distinguished boss and legal titan of repute. God bless you, Sir” while Mrs. Aluba Orji-Okebulu wrote: “Happy birthday, Sir. May the perfect will of the most High continue to prevail in your life now and always.”

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