Arraign Giwa in court now, Keyamo tells Police

Says NFF ‘factional’ leader is aided by some Nigerians
As Nigerians await the outcome of Friday’s forceful entrance by ‘factional’ leader of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Chris Giwa, into the football house in Abuja, and his subsequent arrest by the police, Lawyer to the NFF, Festus Keyamo, had urged the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, to commence his trial immediately.

A ‘desperate’ Giwa was said to have forced his way into the NFF secretariat at about 4 p.m. on Friday in company of some of his board members. He told journalists that he was in the office to proclaim the order of the federal high court in Jos, which he claimed, installed him as NFF president. Giwa was whisked away few minutes later by the Divisional Police Officer of Wuse Zone 3 police station, Sunday Irek, who arrived the venue with detachment from his unit.

Speaking with The Guardian yesterday, the NFF Lawyer, Keyamo, stated that the IGP, Arase, would be doing Nigeria’s football a great damage, if he delays in prosecuting Chris Giwa and his ‘collaborators.’

Keyamo said in a message to The Guardian: “The sheer boldness and crass lawlessness of Chris Giwa is aided by the inaction of the police that has simply refused to do its job by apprehending and arraigning him in court because he no single court order backing his action.

“I hope his latest action of forcing his way into the NFF secretariat will now spur the police to action,” Keyamo stated.

The crisis in NFF began last month after the Super Eagles lost to the Pharaohs of Egypt and crashed out of the 2017 AFCON. The ‘factional’ NFF leader, Giwa, claimed he got an order from a federal high court in Jos, Plateau State, sacking the Executive Committee of the NFF led by Amaju Pinnick.

Keyamo said yesterday that the Registrar of the federal high court in Jos came out later to deny such claim, adding that Giwa and his ‘collaborators’ should be made to face the full wrath of law for peace to reign in Nigerian football.

The Guardian recalls that two years ago, Giwa claimed he had been elected president of the NFF, but the world football governing body (FIFA) did not endorse the vote. Giwa later took his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS, but his appeal was also thrown out.