Controversies surrounding the corruption trial of President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick and four other members of the Board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) takes a new twist with an Abuja High Court granting the Special Presidential panel on public properties warrant of arrest.
The Crest can report that the warrant of arrest becomes inevitable as the football administrators have refused to honour the invitation extended to them to report back to the panel headquarters.
“We had invited them and they have also become eely slipping off the arrest search party. This forced us to approach the court for the warrant which was granted,” our source said.
“Their arraignment is now a fait accompli. They don’t have to be in court to be arraigned in accordance with the provisions of the Executive Order 6 of 2018.
The Crest gathered that the officials of the NFF had written a petition to the Office of the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) against the chairman of the panel, Okoi Obono-Obla, alleging bias against him and the panel.
Abuja-based legal practitioner, Gbenga Dada, said, “it is trite law that Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) does not have the power to stop neither the investigation nor the arraignment. He can only file a ‘nolle prosecui’ after the prosecution would have started. Even at that, he can do that at any stage before judgement is delivered.
“Technically, the allegation of bias against the investigator will not hold water. It is the judge who has the power to take decisions that can be accused of bias when the prosecution would have started,” said Dada.
Our source at the panel disclosed that, “we gave them the opportunity and they have been invited. They shunned the invitation. Now that we have a signed warrant of arrest, we shall effect their arrest anywhere in this country.”
Meanwhile, the Special Investigation panel have concluded the filing of the charges against the NFF officials. It is certain now that the arraignment would be conducted anytime from now. The accused persons do not need to be in court to be arraigned. Executive Order 6 is very clear about this. After that, they would be declared wanted.
Efforts to get the reaction of Barrister Okoi Obono-Obla to the petitions filed against him at the Minister of Justice proved abortive as his line had remained switched off.
