Maitre TAFAH Peter Eba
Advocate, Solicitor & Notary Public of the
Supreme Courts of Nigeria and Cameroon.
LLB (Hons) ABU Zaria Nigeria, BL Nigeria Law School Victoria Island Lagos, LLM ABU Zaria Nigeria
Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Courts of Nigeria and Cameroon, Notary Public/Notaire
Former Prosecuting Attorney at the United Nations ICTR Arusha Tanzania.
He is the Founding, Principal Partner and the CEO of Destiny law firm situated in the city of Bamenda, Cameroon Republic. He is also a member of many national and international organizations among them, International Criminal Lawyers, Lawyers without Borders, Common Lawyers, International Bar, International Humanitarian lawyers, International Arbitration, ICC, ICTR, Member of the Pan African lawyers Union, Member of the International Association of intellectual property lawyers, Founding member of the Bamenda branch of Rotary club International
EDUCATION:
He attended Ahmadu Bello University Zaria-Nigeria and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) Hons in June 1983. He then proceeded to the prestigious Nigeria Law School at Victoria Island and graduated and was enrolled at the Supreme Court of Nigeria as an Advocate and Solicitor in July 1984. As a result of his excellent performance in the undergraduate program in law at the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria Nigeria, he was easily granted admission into the post graduate program of that university in October 1985 and he completed the course in October 1986 and graduated with a Master in Laws (LLM) with distinctions in February 1987.
AREAS OF PRACTICE:
International Criminal and Humanitarian Laws, Human Rights, Corporate law, Commercial Law(OHADA), Property Law, Banking law, Intellectual Property law, Immigration, Arbitration, Personal Injury and all aspects of Insurance law, Family law including inheritance, Conveyances, Taxation, Contract, Elections and all forms of Legal drafting.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Between August 1984 to September 1985 and February to September 1987 he was a junior defence Attorney in the law firm of Shittu & Arosanyin and company in Kaduna and Lagos Nigeria.
In that capacity he conducted litigations in all cases particularly criminal and civil cases in all courts in Nigeria. He equally carried out legal drafting particularly of mortgages, conveyances, Memorandum and Articles of Association, all contracts and other complex legal documents.
He conducted searches and investigated titles to property of clients. Represented the law Firm in board meetings of banks and other corporations. Investigated financial mismanagement by bank or corporation staffs and customers and made the necessary reports to the Law Firm and management among others.
MEMBER OF THE CAMEROON BAR ASSOCIATION:
Being already a member of a foreign Bar Me Peter Eba Tafah was admitted into the Cameroon Bar on the 4th day of December 1987 by a Presidential Decree and sworn in at the Supreme Court of Cameroon on the 24th December 1987 as Solicitor and Advocate with residence in BAMENDA.
While in Bamenda Cameroon waiting for his admission into the Cameroon Bar, he briefly worked in the law Chamber of Barrister Asongwe Peter who was his former principal in the law firm of Shittu & Arosanyin and company in Nigeria.
In March 1988 Me Peter Eba Tafah on the basis of the Presidential decree and his enrollment at the Supreme Court of Cameroon set up a law office in Bamenda city and named it “Destiny Chamber” which thereafter grew up to Destiny Law Firm. It should be noted that he courageously did this particularly as he was an unknown young lawyer in the country and Bamenda in particular having been out of the country since 1979.
As founder of Destiny Chamber and later Destiny Law Firm Me Peter Eba Tafah has been at the center of its activities to make sure the law Chamber/Firm succeeded in the very stiff competitive legal market in Cameroon. He generally managed the law office and recruited intelligent, smart and lawyers of good character into the law firm. He generally operated in accordance with the laws and ethics of the legal profession. It is on this platform, foundation and hard work that he gained the favour of his clients both natural and corporate particularly banks, companies, national and international. He and his law office also gained the favour of government officials, the bar association, NGOS, members of the Diplomatic and international communities doing business in Cameroon and the general civil society.
He was also a member of the judicial panel set up by the Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seal in corroboration with the President of the Cameroon Bar Association to conduct the training and examinations for lawyers who seek to be admitted as Pupil Advocates and Advocates into the Cameroon Bar.
Apart from being in a busy Legal Practice, Me Peter Tafah carried out other human rights and humanitarian activities, which include among others establishing, running and being the first President of International Society for Human Rights Organization (ISHR) Cameroon Section which has a Head office in Germany
The reputation of Me Peter Eba Tafah as a sound and outstanding legal practitioner was soon recognized internationally when in 1998 the United Nations selected him among thousands as a legal adviser and Attorney in the office of the Prosecutor of the United Nations court set up by the Security Council to prosecute those who committed genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Rwanda in 1994.
Me Peter Eba Tafah worked in that United Nations court in various legal capacities from 24 December 1998 to 31 December 2012 and conducted both trial and appeal cases for the Prosecutor.
His work at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal (UNICTR) was centered on all aspects of the law, particularly in the field of International Humanitarian Law, International Criminal law, International Conventions and Treaties and Human Rights including international arbitration. I also worked specifically in other areas including administrative law, contract and commercial law.
He was greatly involved in organizing and participating in Rule of law, judicial organization, legal drafting, advocacy, investigative skills and other capacity building seminars which were held nationally and internationally.
He carried out research and drafted various complex legal documents including indictments, briefs on court matters and other legal issues which contributed in the jurisprudence of the Tribunals including the ICC. He was counsel and lead Counsel for the Prosecution in nine full trials that ended up in life sentence and years of imprisonment. Some of these cases produced landmark jurisprudence on Rape as genocide and crime against humanity. He also performed supervisory functions on other Attorneys, legal advisers, investigators and administrative staffs.
He had the opportunity of working with people from more than eighty five countries of the world and traveled greatly over the world for the work of the United Nations.
While working for the United Nations, Me Peter Tafah was in touch with the Senior and Managing Partner of Destiny Law firm to be informed of the activities of the firm and he equally followed up the legal developments in his country, particularly the ratification and application of the OHADA text in Cameroon.
