By owning her own law firm, Justice Coker has been in breach of the Code Of Conduct For Judicial Officers, brazenly disregarding not only the legal profession but also her office.
SaharaReporters has learned of a serious conflict of interest in the Lagos High Court coming from Justice Adenike Josephine Coker who, in addition to her responsibilities as an appointed Justice in Lagos State, is also the registered owner of the law firm Dasan & Associates that provides legal and consultative services.
Justice Coker is a Lagos State High Court Judge, and currently serves in the Lagos Commercial Division. But approximately ten years after her appointment in 2001, she became the registered owner of Dasan & Associates.
By owning her own law firm, Justice Coker has been in breach of the Code Of Conduct For Judicial Officers, brazenly disregarding not only the legal profession but also her office. The law firm, which is based at Alake House, 173 Igbosere Road, Lagos, represents a persistent conflict of interest for the judge.
In August, 2004 Justice Coker’s father died, making her mother the Principal of Debo Akande & Co., the legal firm he had been operating. However, Justice Coker’s mother passed in 2008 leaving the firm in control of Adenike Josephine Coker.
This meant she was fully involved in both the administrative and financial matters of the firm, including interviewing, hiring, and paying staff; reviewing legal briefs, opinions, and court processes; and other routine activities. She also has gained financially from the firm through monthly stipends.
In 2009, Hilary Igbokwe was appointed as the ceremonial head of the firm. Justice Coker, however, continued with the day-to-day administrative and financial management of the firm, and Hilary Igbokwe has continued to be ceremonial head of the company, assisting Justice Coker despite his knowledge of her current position as a Judge of the High Court of Lagos state.
On June 6, 2011, Justice Coker registered a law firm by the name of “Dasan and Associates” with Registration No 2170400 at the same address as Debo-Akande & Co of Alake House, 173 Igbosere Road, Lagos.
On the Dasan & Associates website, Coker’s profile is featured in the ‘Our Mentors’ section of the website. She was featured along with the Debo Akande, founder of the law firm, and his wife, Jadesola Akande.
Honorable Adenike Josephine Coker fraudulently registered the firm with her maiden name of ‘Adenike Josephine Akande’ despite having been married for years and changing her the name to ‘Adenike Josephine Coker’ for the entire period of her marriage and in her position as a High Court Judge of Lagos State.
It has also been learned that Justice Coker has been using her position on the bench to intimidate tenants of a property that does not lawfully belong to her, according to petitions submitted to the Court. Allegations that in February 2013, Coker was implored by her brother’s lawyer, Adedayo Debo-Akande, to release the keys to a property that belonged to him. The keys were given to her by previous tenants of the property who thought it belonged to her.
Justice Coker has brought these tenants to court, openly putting her name on legal summons. Her brother’s lawyer claimed that Coker has been abusing her position as a judge to intimidate her sibling’s tenants.
SaharaReporters has reached out to contact Justice Coker for comment but communications have not been returned.