By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, urged a Federal High Court in Abuja to invoke its jurisdiction and sanction four ex-helmsmen of the Nigerian Football Federation, Mr Taiwo Ogunjobi, Sani Lulu, Uchegbulam Amanze and Bolaji Ojo-Oba, insisting that they have hatched a subterranean plot aimed at frustrating their  ongoing criminal trial.

At the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, counsel to the anti-graft agency, Chief Olasupo Ashaolu, SAN, lamented that the quartet have deliberately used frivolous applications to stall full-blown hearing into the substantive allegations raised against them, stressing that it was the reason why no witness have been called to testify in the matter.

He pin-pointed a recent application by the accused persons, challenging the jurisdiction of the high court to prosecute them over a matter they insisted was within the purview of the  Federation of International Football Association, FIFA, to determine, as a quintessential example of their calculated effort to thwart the course of justice.

Consequently, the EFCC pleaded with presiding Justice Donatus Okorowo to not only dismiss the application filed before him by the accused persons seeking to quash the entire criminal charges against them over want of jurisdiction, but to also order an expeditious hearing of the case.

It would be recalled that the ex_NFF officials had told the court ab_initio that they would only explain the alleged roles they played in the mismanagement of about N1.3 billion belonging to the football house, whenever they are summoned by FIFA to do so.

While challenging the powers of the EFCC to initiate criminal proceeding against them, they insisted that the FIFA’s Court of Arbitration in Sports, CAS, was a more qualified institution that has the original jurisdiction to prosecute them over such allegations as were raised against them.

However the prosecution had waved off their argument as useless, contending that “It is ridiculous and an aberration for the accused persons to claim that they can only be prosecuted by FIFA for an offence they committed in Nigeria.

They however forgot that it was the same Nigerian law that made it possible for them to operate in the capacity they were before.

“They must prove before this court that FIFA law has been domesticated in Nigeria. The onus is on them and until they discharge that onus they will be prosecuted under the relevant Nigerian laws they contravened.

“Moreover, section 12 of the 1999 constitution made them subjects to the Nigerian law. Their objection is totally useless, incompetent and should be accordingly dismissed”.

Justice Okorowo, before adjourning the case, warned all the parties top desist from acts capable of jeopardizing the trial, stressing that economic crime is so sensitive and ought to be diligently and speedily prosecuted.

He gave EFCC four days to file its counter affidavit to the motion filed by the NFF officials even as he equally gave counsel representing Lulu another four days to respond on point law.

It would be recalled that operatives of the anti_graft agency on July 7, 2010, arrested the indicted NFF ex_officials after a plethora of incriminating documents were uncovered against them.

Though they were subsequently allowed to go home on administrative bail, they were however re_arrested and charged to court by the EFCC.

They were specifically accused of siphoning about $125, 000 (N18.7 million) through shoddy hotel bookings in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup, $250,000.00 lost as a result of booking the wrong airline for the trip, $400,000 allegedly expended on the Nigeria/Colombia friendly match and $236,000.00 which vanished from the coffers of the Glass House in 2009.

Other allegations against them were that they pocketed $5million marketing revenue received by the NFF from FIFA and corporate sponsors of the World Cup, N96million allegedly used in purchasing two luxury buses for the national team, N34million allegedly spent to conduct elections for the football monitoring body, $1.2 million World Cup grant unaccounted for and N185 million Lulu and his co-accused persons allegedly shared amongst state chairmen of the Nigerian Football Association (NFA), in their futile bid to frustrate their ouster from the football house.

One of the charges against them reads,  “That you Sani Lulu Abdullahi(M), Amanze Uchegbulam (M), Dr Bolaji Ojoba (M) and Taiwo Ogunjobi(M) on or about the month of February, 2009, in the office of the Nigerian Football Federation in Abuja, within the Abuja Judicial division of the federal high court, while being board members of the NFF, did criminally misappropriate to wit; misappropriating the sums of N900 million, $1 million, $200,000 , released to the NFF at various times without giving proper accounts as to how the monies were spent in South Africa, thereby committed the offence of abuse of office contrary to and punishable under section 104 of the Criminal Code Act. C. 38 laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.