Professor Richard Solomon Musa Tarfa, the co-founder of the Du Merci orphanages for vulnerable children in Kano and Kaduna states, Nigeria, has been acquitted of forgery and discharged by an appeal court on 27 January.

The professor had been serving a two-year prison sentence after being convicted by a Kano state High Court of forging a certificate of registration from the Kano state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development on 3 March 2022.

The appeal was filed on the basis of several errors committed by the presiding judge, Justice Narisu Saminu, when passing sentence, including his disregard of credible evidence proving the professor’s innocence.

Professor Tarfa was initially arrested in December 2019, and was subsequently held in pre-trial detention until 10 December 2020, when he was released on bail. In June 2021 he was acquitted of abducting 19 children from their legal guardians and confining them in an unregistered orphanage. However, the forgery charge on which he was eventually convicted was submitted during this trial by the lawyer for the prosecution a day before resting his case. 

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW rejoices with Professor Tarfa and his family at his long overdue acquittal. He has been subjected to years of injustice and harassment which predate his December 2019 arrest. We call on authorities in Kano state to allow the professor to enjoy his freedom in peace, and to expedite the return home of all of the Du Merci children. We also continue to insist that reparations must be made for the undeniable trauma this family has endured over the past three years, particularly in light of the professor’s full acquittal today.’