Ojo-Oba - How I escaped being jailed over alleged fraud

Bolaji Ojo-Oba, the former secretary-general of the Nigerian Football Federation, has discussed how he narrowly avoided going to jail after he and other top football officials were accused of making questionable transactions at the 2010 World Cup, among other things.

On July 7, 2010, agents of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission detained Ojo-Oba and three other suspects, including Taiwo Ogunjobi, an ex-NFF secretary general, Amanze Uchegbulam, a former vice president of the NFF, and Sani Lulu.

On September 6, 2010, they were charged with misappropriating funds without providing any justification for how the money was used during the South Africa 2010 World Cup.
They were specifically accused of embezzling about $125,000 through shoddy hotel reservations in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup, $250,000 lost as a result of selecting the incorrect airline for the trip, $400,000 allegedly spent on the friendly match between Nigeria and Colombia, and $236,000 that mysteriously disappeared from the Glass House's coffers in 2009.

In addition, they were accused of pocketing $5 million in marketing funds received by the NFF from FIFA and business sponsors of the World Cup, spending N96 million on two opulent buses for the national team, N34 million on elections for the football body, and N185 million among state FA chairmen in an ineffective effort to prevent their removal.
However, after being found guilty in 2016 by the Federal High Court of Abuja, Ojo-Oba and the other three were released and declared innocent by the Court of Appeal in 2018.

Ojo-Oba said that if it weren't for the skillful record keeping of his then Personal Assistant Dr. Chris Emeruwa, they would not have been exonerated four years after their conviction.