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The 2011 edition of the Canadian Education Fair will be holding on 31st January and 1st February in Abuja, and from 3rd to 5th February 2011 in Lagos State Nigera.
Friday, January 21, 2011
EFCC PROBES NIGERIA FOOTBALL ADMINISTRATORS
We are the voice of the voiceless...
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday, told a Federal High Court in Abuja that Sani Lulu and three others involved in an offence under the Nigerian law and not under the FIFA law For allegedly defrauding the federal government to the tune of over N1.3 billion naira and $2 million, and as such, should be tried.
The EFCC stated this in a counter motion challenging an application brought before the court by Lulu and three others, Amanze Uchegbulam, Bolaji Ojo-Oba, and Taiwo Ogunjobi, all former officials of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, seeking to quash charges of alleged corruption preferred against them by the commission.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Thursday, the accused persons through their counsel, Sunday Ameh and Akin Olujinmi, challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the charges, saying that it is only FIFA that has jurisdiction to prosecute them.
They accordingly prayed the court to quash the charges on the ground that the regulating body of NFF is FIFA and that the federal government has no right to legislate over football related matters under the constitution.
Specifically, the defence said the charges levelled against the men bothered on the breach of Criminal Act, EFCC Act, and Public Procurement Act. Noting that since NFF is not being regulated by such Acts, it could not be binding on the accused persons and as such the accused could not have breached the provisions of such law.
But counsel to the EFCC, Titus Ashaolu, opposed the application with a 22- paragraph counter-affidavit praying the court to discountenance the applications of all the defence counsels on a lack of merit. Sressing that in as much FIFA law is not domesticated in Nigeria, the accused will have to be prosecuted under the law of the land.
"Coming to this court and saying they cannot be tried by Nigerian laws, except FIFA, is an aberration," he said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday, told a Federal High Court in Abuja that Sani Lulu and three others involved in an offence under the Nigerian law and not under the FIFA law For allegedly defrauding the federal government to the tune of over N1.3 billion naira and $2 million, and as such, should be tried.
The EFCC stated this in a counter motion challenging an application brought before the court by Lulu and three others, Amanze Uchegbulam, Bolaji Ojo-Oba, and Taiwo Ogunjobi, all former officials of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, seeking to quash charges of alleged corruption preferred against them by the commission.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Thursday, the accused persons through their counsel, Sunday Ameh and Akin Olujinmi, challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the charges, saying that it is only FIFA that has jurisdiction to prosecute them.
They accordingly prayed the court to quash the charges on the ground that the regulating body of NFF is FIFA and that the federal government has no right to legislate over football related matters under the constitution.
Specifically, the defence said the charges levelled against the men bothered on the breach of Criminal Act, EFCC Act, and Public Procurement Act. Noting that since NFF is not being regulated by such Acts, it could not be binding on the accused persons and as such the accused could not have breached the provisions of such law.
But counsel to the EFCC, Titus Ashaolu, opposed the application with a 22- paragraph counter-affidavit praying the court to discountenance the applications of all the defence counsels on a lack of merit. Sressing that in as much FIFA law is not domesticated in Nigeria, the accused will have to be prosecuted under the law of the land.
"Coming to this court and saying they cannot be tried by Nigerian laws, except FIFA, is an aberration," he said.
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