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Arraign Giwa in court now, Keyamo tells Police

By Gowon Akpodonor
09 May 2016   |   2:48 am
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.
Festus Keyamo urged the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, to commence Giwa's trial immediately.

Festus Keyamo urged the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, to commence Giwa’s trial immediately.

Says NFF ‘factional’ leader is being 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, has 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 a Federal High Court in Jos, which he claimed, installed him as NFF president. Giwa was whisked away a few minutes later by the Divisional Police Officer of Wuse Zone 3 police station, Sunday Irek, who arrived the venue with a detachment of officers from his unit.

Speaking with The Guardian yesterday, Keyamo stated that the IGP, Arase, would be doing Nigeria’s football a great damage if he delayed 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 has 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. Shortly after the match, Giwa started pushing to assume the NFF presidency, claiming he got an order from a Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State, sacking the executive committee of the federation led by Amaju Pinnick.

Keyamo said yesterday that the registrar of the Federal High Court in Jos came out later to deny such claims, adding that Giwa and his ‘collaborators’ should be made to face the full wrath of the 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 world football governing body (FIFA) did not endorse the polls, which he said brought him to office. Giwa later took his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS, but his appeal was also thrown out.

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