The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided by Justice Ifeoma Ojukwu Tuesday ordered president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick and four other officials to be arraigned before it on July 1 to face corruption charges.
NFF vice-presidents Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko, executive committee member Ahmed Yusuf ‘Fresh’ as well as general secretary Mohammed Sanusi are the other accused persons
This followed an application by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the recovery of public property (SPIP) that the court grant it permission to serve them their summons by substituted means after efforts to serve them personally failed.
“The defendants have avoided to be served personally and that was why we have asked the court that we serve them by other means,” said SPIP counsel Celsus Ukpong.
“They must now be arraigned on July 1 and their pleas taken.”
Anti-corruption agency SPIP has filed a 17-count charge against the NFF chieftains ranging from failure to declare their assets to conflict of interest and embezzlement of $8.4 million prize money paid Nigeria by FIFA for the country’s participation at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
On May 13, the Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Ojukwu ruled that SPIP is within its rights to arrest and prosecute the top NFF officials for alleged corruption.
The NFF officials had sought an interlocutory injunction to stop the anti-graft agency from suing them.
NFF official and a prosecution witness, Oyetunde Aderibigbe, demanded Pinnick and the other officials appear in court to clear their names.
“This order by the court is good for the anti-corruption fight embarked by the government and so no one is above the law,” he said.
“They have maintained they are not guilty and so let them come to court and defend themselves.”
He added: “We will fight with President Muhammadu Buhari for Nigeria to be corruption free and move to the next level.
“We must therefore get rid of all corrupt elements in our society.”
A group of protesters, who claimed to be footballers, was at the court with placards displaying various inscriptions demanding for the NFF officials to stand trial.
The inscriptions include – ‘Nigeria football is dead and buried by Pinnick NFF’, ‘FIFA stop working with criminal NFF’ and ‘Chief of Staff Abba Kyari stop supporting NFF gang’.
Three other NFF officials have also been sued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged theft of over $10 million being FIFA and CAF grants paid Nigeria.
The case will continue on Thursday in Abuja.
By Samm Audu
