Court quizzes former NSC D-G over corruption charges against Lulu, 3 others

Patrick Ekeji, a former Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), was cross-examined on Wednesday over the corruption charges against a former Nigeria Football Association (NFA) chairman, Sani Lulu.

Sunday Ameh (SAN), counsel to Lulu, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, where Lulu and other NFA board members are standing trial, cross-examined Ekeji over his involvement in the matter.

Ameh demanded to know why the NSC, being the supervisory body of the NFA, did not know about most of the things that happened in the football house.

He wondered why Ekeji, who was in office when the alleged misappropriation of funds in the NFA took place, did not know how and if the former NFA leadership purchased two luxury buses.

Ekeji, when asked to explain his role in the purchase of the buses, told the court that he only approved the purchase, but did not know if those purchases were made by NFA.

“NSC, as a supervisory agency of NFA, can only know about issues brought to its notice.

“It is not the duty of the NSC to enquire what the NFA got from their sponsors in order not to be seen as interfering in its affairs, according to FIFA status,’’ Ekeji said.

Titus Ashaolu (SAN), counsel to the EFCC, had on Dec. 17, 2014, asked the court to admit the statement made by Ekeji when he was the director-general of the NSC as evidence against the accused persons.

Ameh, who led other counsels to the accused persons, had insisted that Ekeji’s statement should not be admitted as evidence because the counsel to the EFCC had said that it would be used against the accused persons.

Ekeji’s cross-examination continues on Thursday (April 16).

Lulu, Bolaji Ojo-Oba, a former Secretary-General of the NFA, and a former board member Taiwo Ogunjobi, are facing corruption charges on account of their stewardship while in office.

Amanze Uchegbulam, a former NFA Vice Chairman, is also among those answering charges brought against the quartet by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The former NFA chieftains are standing trial on an eight-count charge ranging from misappropriation of the 2010 World Cup funds and the purchase of two marcopolo buses without following due process.

They are also standing trial for the distribution of World Cup tickets, paying estacode and allowances to 220 Nigerians who went to watch the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, among others.

Lulu, accused of misappropriating N2 billion, had maintained that he left N2.8 billion in NFA coffers when he was impeached by the NFA board on June 2, 2010.

The case, which has been on since July 2010, was however, adjourned to May 15, by the presiding judge, Justice E.S. Chukwu, for further hearing and cross-examination of the accused persons. (NAN)