Alex Enumah in Abuja
A Federal High Court has revoked the bail granted former football international, Prince Harrison Jalla, in his trial on alleged criminal defamation.
Justice H. A. Nganjiwa of the Warri Division of the Federal High Court, revoked Jalla’s bail, due to the defendant’s failure to attend trial and for also making a baseless allegations of tax fraud against the nominal Complainant, former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Melvin Pinnick.
Jalla, the chairman of the Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Concepts, was arraigned in 2021 by the Inspector General (IG) of Police, on a five-count charge bordering on cyber bullying, defamation, extortion among others.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges read against him and was granted bail to enable him adequately defend the charge against him.
However, when the matter came up on June 4, the defendant was not in court on grounds of alleged I’ll health.
Prosecution counsel, Dr. R. O. Ishiguzo, who informed the court that the day’s proceedings was for continuation of trial, added that Jalla was not in court on account of a medical surgery.
Ishiguzo however drew the court’s attention to the fact that there was no medical report to back the claim of medical surgery and as such the court should disregard the claim and revoke the bail earlier granted the defendant.
Besides, the prosecution also presented to the court a Police Investigation Report dated October 23, 2025 showing that, the defendant made a baseless allegations of tax fraud against Pinnick, an offence for which he is undergoing trial in the first place.
Responding, S. C. Uche, who represented Jalla, claimed that the defendant was sick but, he was not in possession of any medical report to present before the court.
Uche, who denied any knowledge of his client making false tax allegations against the nominal complainant however pleaded with the court not to revoke the bail of the defendant.
In a bench ruling, Justice Nganjiwa held that after listening to parties and considering the circumstances of the case, the bail of the defendant should be revoked.
The judge, in addition issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Jalla wherever he is found, so as to enable him continue his trial.
A copy of the order signed by a Senior Registrar ll, Samuel Titus and sighted on Thursday by THISDAY read:
Upon this charge coming up before the Honourable Court this 04/06/2026 for continuation of trial. AND the Defendant is absent from the court.
“After hearing Dr. R. O. Ishiguzo, of counsel for the Prosecution submitted to the effect that the Defendant’s counsel informed him in court that the Defendant is absent because he had a medical surgery. He also presented to the court a Police Investigation Report dated 23/10/2025 showing that, the Defendant made a baseless allegations of tax fraud against the nominal Complainant. He then applied for revocation of the bail granted to the Defendant, in the absence of the Defendant’s medical report.
“And after hearing S. C. Uche, Esq., of counsel for the Defendant submit thus; “we are sorry for the inability of the Defendant to be in court today. He is sick presently, I don’t have a medical report. I am not aware of the said publication. I urged the court not to revoke the bail of the Defendant.”
“Now therefore, the Court having considered the submissions of counsel and the circumstances.
“It is hereby ordered as follows:
“The bail earlier granted to the Defendant is hereby revoked.
“A Bench warrant is issued to cause the arrest of the Defendant wherever he may be and be brought before this court.
“Summons to show cause be issued to the surety.
“The Case is adjourned to July 9, 2026 for trial”.
Jalla in count one in the suit marked: FHC/ WR/49c/2021, was said to have between March, 2016 and March, 2021 “in Warri in the Warri Judicial Division, knowingly or intentionally sent messages by means of electronic devices (computer systems) which you know to be false for the purpose of causing annoyance, or insult, ill will or needless anxiety to Hon. Melvin Amaju Pinnick and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 24 (1) (b) of the cyber crime (prohibition, prevention. Etc) Act of 2015.
He was in count two accused, “with intent to extort money from one Hon. Amaju Melvin Pinnick – the president of Nigeria Football Federation did accuse him of committing financial fraud against the Nigeria Football Federation an accusation which you could not substantiate with facts or material evidence and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 408 (1) of the criminal code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
He was also alleged to have threatened to use one Mr. Larry Kubenji to accuse Amaju of financial misappropriation against the NFF, with the intent to extort.
The Police in count four claimed that Jalla “between the months of March, 2015 and March, 2021, in Warri, within the Warri Judicial Division, with intent to blackmail and extort money and get pecuniary benefits from Hon. Amaju M. Pinnick, did cause a publication to be made to the public accusing him of defrauding the Nigeria Football Federation and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 408 (3) of the criminal code Act, Cap C 38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
In count five the defendant was accused of publishing several defamatory matter against Amaju, “Knowing same to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 375 of the criminal code Act, Cap C 38, Laws of the Federation, 2004.
If found guilty the defendant could spend several years in custody, owing to the fact that the Federal High Court in a judgement in 2019 as well as a special investigative panel of the federal government exonerating Amaju and his colleagues at the NFF of the allegations made by the defendant.
