The Abuja division of a Federal High Court had directed that, Amaju Pinnick, the President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), and four others to be paraded before the court over an alleged misappropriation of $8.4 million dollars belonging to the football body.
Ordering their appearance, Justice ijeoma Ojukwu stressed that Pinnick and four other defendants in the 17-count charges must appear before the court on November 5 unfailingly, the other four involve in the case are; NFF Secretary, Sunusi Mohammed; the 1st Vice-President, Seyi Akinwumi; the 2nd Vice-President, Shehu Dikko and Yusuff Fresh, an executive member.
The order was instigated by failure of one of them to appear before the court when they were summoned in the court yesterday.
Earlier justice ijeoma had issued a warrant of arrest against four officials of the NFF in the case filed by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel (SPIP), now disbanded by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Failure of the accused to appear before the court to answer their charges as demanded by the judge provoked the issue of arrest warrant, though they were sighted at the court premises but has refused to face the Judge.
Angered by the attitude of the defendants for disobeying her order, Justice Ojokwu, directed that, the defendant they appear in court.
When the case was called upon, Dr. Celsius Ukpong, who filed the case on behalf the defunct Okoi Obono-Obla-led SPIP panel, informed the court that the panel has been dissolved by president Buhari.
He added, in view of the directive of the president, all activities and functions of the panel have been moved to the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
Accordingly, Ukpong further stated that “It was the panel that filed the charges. But we have been disbanded by President Muhammadu Buhari with directive to handover all our activities to the office of the AGF. Therefore, we believe that the office of the AGF will properly handle the matter.
Corroborating his statement, Abubakar Musa, a lawyer from the office of the AGF informed the court that the case file is in transition to the office of the AGF subsequent to the scraping of the SPIP by the president.
