An Abuja Magistrate’s Court has reserved till June 10 judgment in the case of the missing 236,000 dollars at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Chief Magistrate David Ochimana, who tendered his unreserved apology on Wednesday, said he was unable to prepare the judgment as a result of other judicial issues which needed attention.
“I apologise for not being able to make available the NFF missing dollars judgment scheduled for today.
“This is in view of other issues attended to. I promise to make do with the judgment on the next possible date given by this court,” Ochimana pleaded.
Mr E.E. Itah, counsel to John Adelowo, one of the accused persons, said Nigerians were awaiting the judgment as there had been speculations that the judgment would be delivered after the NFF elections.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the money was declared missing from the NFF secretariat on March 19, 2009 and the case has since suffered many adjournments.
After preliminary investigations, the police arrested 12 suspects and arraigned them on May 5, with seven of them discharged on Sept. 23, 2009.
Ochimana had ruled then that the prosecution had failed to make a prima facie case against those discharged.
The remaining accused — Adelowo, Lukeman Ajiboye, Abutu Ogaji, Isaac Baba and Yakubu Bawa — are now awaiting the judgment in a four-count charge of criminal conspiracy, housebreaking, theft and negligence.
(NAN)
