Lagos — The four super administrators of the former Nigeria Football Federation who are accused of mismanaging and misappropriating funds of the federation are now in prison. The four are the former president of the federation, Sani Lulu Abdullahi, his vice in office, Amanze Uchegbulam, the former Secretary-general of the federation, Dr. Bolaji Ojo-Oba and the Chairman Technical Committee during their term, Taiwo Ogunjobi.

Agents and representatives of the four on the outside yesterday went the most difficult of their life trying to fulfill the bail conditions imposed on their associates by the Federal High Court where they are standing trial for alleged fraud of N1.5b.

The four, known in sporting circles during their term in various footballing positions as 'The Fantastic Four', will stay in prison cells for the duration of the Islamic holiday weekend starting today Thursday September 9, till Monday September 13 when a new move to fulfill their very difficult bail conditions would kick in.

Although the tenets of justice in the country makes out that bail is free, but the officials were never going to be allowed their freedom easily and the judge made sure of that by putting so many stumbling blocks on their bail route, which became too difficult to surmount in the period of 24 hours that they had from the time the pronouncement of the judgment and the deadline to meet the conditions.

Reliable information told our desk last night that the four men arrived at the premises of the jail around 8:30 in the evening and by 8:40, they had been signed in for their stay until the bail conditions are met.

The route to securing the bail conditions, information had it last night, was really tortuous. According to sources, the judge, David Okorowa, after waiting for the bail conditions to be met, and they were not by 4:00 pm, had left the court premises around 5pm, leaving the instructions that when the conditions were met, the papers should be brought to his house for signing and release approval given.

However, as at 7:30 in the evening, the four gentlemen were still in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission operatives, who reports have it were becoming restless because they would like to take them away to the prison as early as possible so they too could go home to begin the observance of the Islamic holidays.

Justice Okorowa had granted their bail on Tuesday for the sum of N100 million with two sureties each. And in his reading, he had said one of the sureties must not be less than a director in the Federal Civil Service while the other must have landed property within the Federal Capital.

He also said whoever must be a surety must have to deposit the certificate of occupancy of the property that is being used as surety with the court's registrar and produce three years tax certificates certified by the Federal Inland Revenue Service. He then asked that the suspects submit to the court their traveling documents. But that would have to be done on their behalf by the EFCC, because the commission already had them seized from the four long ago.

The four are on trial for their concert parts in allegedly impoverishing the country to the tune of N1.5b as a result of their alleged violation of the Procurement Act, using their office to confer undue advantage on themselves, thereby abusing their office. They pleaded not guilty to the 10-count charge proffered against them.