Four former leaders of Nigeria's football federation face corruption charges after allegedly embezzling money from its team's World Cup funds, authorities said Tuesday.
Anti-graft investigators accuse former president Sani Lulu, former vice president Amanze Ugbulam, former technical committee member Taiwo Ogunjobi and former general secretary Bolaji Ojo-Oba of using the more than $6 million in tournament funding for their own advantage.
The charges claim the four bought inferior buses for the team and pocketed the remaining money. The ex-leaders also paid out $800,000 in supposed travel costs for 220 delegates to the World Cup in South Africa. Of those, only 47 were federation officials, while the rest were the men's ''friends, associates, girlfriends and relations,'' said Femi Babafemi, a spokesman for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
During a court hearing Tuesday in Nigeria's capital Abuja, Judge Donatus Okorowo ordered the men to surrender their passports and pay a $666,000 bond for their release pending trial.
Lawyers representing the men could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.
The corruption charges come after a disappointing World Cup performance by the Super Eagles and a threat by President Goodluck Jonathan to suspend the federation. Jonathan backed down from the threat after FIFA warned it would sanction the country.
Nigeria left the World Cup with just one point, earned in a 2-2 draw with South Korea in its last game. Nigeria lost to Argentina 1-0 in its Group B opener and fell to Greece 2-1 in a game turned by the first-half ejection of midfielder Sani Kaita.
Controversy followed the team during its brief appearance in South Africa. Corruption allegations against the federation's management arose after officials fired coach Shaibu Amodu in February and hired Swedish coach Lars Lagerback only about four months before the World Cup.
The football federation also had to pay a reported $125,000 contract to cancel its reservations at the Hampshire Hotel north of Durban in South Africa. Nigerian officials apparently complained the three-star hotel was noisy, mosquito-infested and unsafe.
Oil-rich Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, is often considered by analysts and watchdog groups to have one of the world's most corrupt governments.
Nigeria, which sends many of its best players off to European football clubs, hasn't won a World Cup match since 1998. The Nigerians went out with two losses and a draw in 2002 and did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup.
---
Online:
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission: http://www.efccnigeria.org
Nigeria Football Federation: http://www.nigeriaff.com/
