The fate of the former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi and three erstwhile officials, Amanze Uchegbulam, Taiwo Ogunjobi and Bolaji Ojo-Oba will be determined today as the substantive suit instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against them will be up for hearing at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
For four consecutive times, presiding judge, Justice Donatus Okororuwa could not sit on the matter. The trial had to be shifted the last time for today, July 19. The resumed hearing today is expected to see judges hear the coordinated argument of the counsels representing the former NFF chiefs, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.
The defense counsel, Sunday Ameh (SAN), leading others, raised a preliminary objection on the competence of the court to entertain the 10-count charge preferred against his client and others. The thrust of the accused persons’ argument is that the court lack jurisdiction to hear the matter because the NFF board, at the last Annual General Meeting, (AGM) had quashed the impeachment against his clients.
In the 10-count charge brought against Lulu and the three others, they were alleged to have misappropriated N900m and another $1.2m released to them by the federal government and world soccer ruling body, FIFA during the 2010 FIFA senior World Cup in South Africa.
They were also accused of wasting another N99m in the procurement of two substandard buses for the Eagles while another $800,000 was allegedly corruptly paid out as estacodes to 220 unauthorised persons comprising their friends, associates, political support groups and family members.
The EFCC also accused them of lodging the Super Eagles at a substandard hotel in South Africa in contravention of FIFA laws and prompting the world football governing body to fine Nigeria $125,000.
The former NFF president and the three others were also accused of chartering a faulty aircraft from International Air charter to convey Nigeria’s squad to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The quartet were arrested on July 7, 2010, by the operatives of the anti-graft agency for alleged corrupt practices and charged to court, but they were granted bail after spending some days in Kuje prisons. ?