Adamu Drags EFCC To Court

Disgraced former International Football Federation (FIFA) executive committee member, Amos Adamu, has gone to court challenging the powers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate and prosecute him.

Adamu was last month suspended for three years by FIFA and fined 10,000 Swiss Franc following his involvement in a cash for votes sting.

Following that, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it would investigate and prosecute him.

But Adamu has now gone to court, asking for an order of injunction restraining the EFCC from arresting, detaining, harassing and undertaking any criminal proceedings against him.

His counsel, Niyi Ayoola-Daniels argued that the EFCC did not have the statutory power to investigate him.

“The EFCC does not have the power to investigate an alleged breach of the articles of FIFA code of ethics 2009 because FIFA is not a parastatal of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

“The former FIFA executive member is being disturbed and unable to move freely in the country.”

Besides the EFCC, Adamu also joined the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigeria Police Force in the action.

In the suit filed on his behalf by Niyi Ayoola-Daniels, Adamu is praying the court to hold that EFCC and ICPC were bereft of statutory powers to investigate and/or prosecute him for an alleged violation of the code of ethics of FIFA.

According to Ayoola-Daniels, the laws establishing EFCC and ICPC do not empower them to investigate and punish people for breaching FIFA’s Code of Ethics. He also prayed the court to declare that the police would be acting beyond their powers if they decided to investigate him for alleged breach of FIFA’s code of ethics.

Adamu asked the court to declare that by virtue of the laws establishing the offices of the anti-graft agencies and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, they all lacked the power to prosecute him for alleged breach of FIFA’s code of ethics.

He consequently asked the court to restrain the EFCC, the ICPC and the police from infringing his right to personal liberty as enshrined in Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution.

When the matter came up on Monday, the trial judge, Justice Sylvanus Oriji, asked Adamu’s lawyer, Ayoola-Daniels, whether his court had the power to restrain the anti-graft agencies from interrogating Adamu.

The judge consequently adjourned the matter to January 17, 2011.