By Duro Ikhazuagbe
As Chris Giwa continues his threat to take over the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) secretariat in Abuja today, top lawyer, Festus Keyamo, insisted at the weekend that the police authorities in the country appear to be aiding the Jos-based club owner in carrying out his onslaught against the administration of the game in Nigeria.
Giwa who was arrested last Friday by Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Wuse Zone 7, Abuja for trespassing on the premises of the NFF and later released told sports reporters that he was resuming duty at the Glass House in Abuja today based on theorder of the Federal High Court Jos which on April 8 purportedly returned him to office.
But Keyamo who is solicitor to President of the NFF, Amaju Pinnick, said that the failure to apprehend Giwa and arraign him in court was partly responsible for the effrontery of the Giwa FC proprietor to continue to disrupt activities at the federation secretariat.
“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,” Keyamo told THISDAY yesterday.
He however said that he believes that Giwa’s latest action of invading the NFF secretariat should spur the police to arraign him now.
“I hope his (Giwa) latest action will now spur the police to taking appropriate action to bring him to account for all he has been doing to the Amaju Pinnick-led board of the NFF.
Giwa who is laying claim to be the authentic NFF president because of the charade of August 26, 2014 at the Chida Hotel in Abuja which purportedly granted him the mandate had his case thrown out at the highest Court of Sport Arbitration (CAS) in Lausanne for lacking substance.
Not satisfied, Giwa’s group went back to the Federal High Court in Jos to relist the case against the NFF that had earlier been withdrawn. They claimed to have a judgment that sacked Pinnick’s board from office.
But Keyamo said no such order was given by the court but the figment of imagination of the Giwa group.
“It has been in the news for over a month that we got a ruling from the Federal High Court, Jos restoring all the orders granted us since 2014 to date. And that gives me the right and permit to be at this place. By the grace of God, I will resume here fully and address a full media briefing by Monday (today),” Giwa had informed reporters on his way out of the police state after he was questioned over his mission at the Glass House.
