What happened to the ๐๐$๐.๐m ๐ ๐๐ ๐ grant case??
Thank you, ๐๐ค๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ, for raising the question:
โ๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ?โ
That question sent me back into the public record.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฅ๐: FRN v. Christopher Andekin & 2 Others
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ: FCT High Court, Maitama, Abuja
๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐: Justice Peter O. Affen
๐
๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ: October 18, 2018
๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ: EFCC
๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ: Steve Odiase
๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ฅ: Arinze Egbo
๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐: Five counts involving alleged criminal conspiracy, breach of trust and misappropriation.
The defendants were:
๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง โ Director of Administration and Finance, NFF
๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ค๐ โ Cashier, NFF
๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฎ ๐
๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ข ๐๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ โ Head of Finance and Accounts, NFF
All three ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฒ.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
The EFCC alleged that the broader amount involved was US$9,535,923.87, said to be FIFA grant money intended for the development of football in Nigeria.
The published charge particulars identified an NFF domiciliary account:
๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐ค โ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
One count alleged that Andekin, between January 8 and January 26, 2015, diverted โฆ1,353,407.22 from that account.
Another published count alleged that Rajan Zaka diverted US$6,490,900.48 from the same NFF domiciliary account.
Contemporaneous reports also summarized the prosecutionโs case as alleging approximately US$7.2 million against Zaka and US$2.3 million against Mamza. Because the published reports are not perfectly consistent on the breakdown, I am preserving the exact charge particulars where available rather than forcing the figures into one simplified total.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
The prosecution alleged conspiracy contrary to Section 97 of the Penal Code.
The published substantive counts cited Section 311 of the Penal Code, Cap 532 LFN 1990, with punishment under Section 312.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
Justice Affen upheld the defendantsโ earlier administrative bail and required each to produce a surety and sign a โฆ5 million bond. Their international passports were deposited with the court, and they were warned not to leave the jurisdiction without permission.
The matter was then adjourned for trial.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
In 2019, the EFCC sought to add then-NFF President Amaju Pinnick and Secretary-General Mohammed Sanusi as co-defendants.
On February 20, 2020, Justice Affen rejected that application, holding that doing so would amount to an abuse of court process because they had already been discharged in a similar Federal High Court proceeding. The judge also noted the overlap between the cases.
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐?
A current public corruption-case tracker still identifies the matter as:
๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
It also marks ACJA/ACJL compliance as violated and records 2,879 days since arraignment.
That is nearly eight years after the original arraignment.
And this point matters because the money at issue was described as FIFA development funding โ funding intended to help develop Nigerian football.
Grassroots football.
Youth development.
Infrastructure.
Competitions.
Capacity-building.
So the public-interest question remains:
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
๐๐จ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ. ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐.
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.
๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐ค๐จ๐ค๐ฎ
๐
๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ | ๐
๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ | ๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ | ๐
๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ-๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐๐ข๐๐-๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง
๐๐ค๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ก๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ, ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐, ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐จ.
For feedback, comments, corrections, or documented contributions, please write to: [email protected]
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐: Feedback, comments, corrections, or documented contributions submitted in response to these public posts may be quoted or shared publicly, with appropriate attribution, as part of the continuing public discussion. If you do not want your feedback shared publicly, please state that clearly when submitting it.