A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, held that four ex-helmsmen of the Nigerian Football Federation, Mr Taiwo Ogunjobi, Sani Lulu, Uchegbulam Amanze and Bolaji Ojo-Oba, have a criminal case to answer pertaining to alleged role they played in the mismanagement of about N1.3 billion belonging to the football house.

The judge said he has the requisite jurisdiction over the case, noting that the accused persons being former officials of the NFF, were subject to laws governing public expenditure in the country, stressing that the NFF being an off-shoot of the Nigerian Football Association, NFA, cannot be regarded as an autonomous body since it is still under the supervision of the National Sports Council, NSC.

He dismissed contention of the accused persons that only FIFA could try them, stressing that “no nation will concede its sovereignty because of any sports including football.”

Justice Okorowo relied on the provisions of section 225(1) of the 1999 constitution to hold that the court has jurisdiction to entertain the case, saying the accused persons were bound under decree 101 of 1982, now CAP LFN 110, of the NFF Act, 2004.

Meantime, the court yesterday struck out count 5 and 6 of the charge on grounds that they were initiated under a non-existing law.

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”.