Jay-jay Okocha May be Heading for Jail as Lagos Court Orders His Arrest

By Gboyega Olunuga – April 15, 2019

Worries are rife among Nigerian soccer lovers at home and abroad, over the likelihood of the former Nigerian International and English Premier League star, Jay-jay Okocha ending-up behind bars due to contempt of court.

A Lagos High Court in Igbosere has renewed a bench warrant for the arrest of former Super Eagles captain for his failure to appear in court for evading payment of income taxes.

The judge, Justice Adedayo Akintoye, first made the order for Okorocha’s arrest on January 29, following an application by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice.

Okocha was charged by the state in a three-count charge bordering on failure to furnish return of income.

The prosecutor Jide Martins urged the court to issue a bench warrant to Okocha for his failure to appear in court since 2017 when the case came up for a hearing in October.

Martins also said that the defendant’s failure to pay his income taxes contravened Sections 56 (a) and (b) of the Lagos State Revenue Administration Law No.8, 2006, as well as Section 94 (1) of the Personal Income Tax Act Cap P8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Okocha, though, feigned ignorance of the development, saying he was not in the know about factors that led to the arrest warrant in the first place, as he claims he had not been contacted over the matter. He insisted further that he was not aware of his alleged failure to pay income tax, which led to Igbosere High Court in Lagos Island issuing a bench warrant for his arrest. The ex-Eintracht Frankfurt, Fernebahce, Paris-Saint Germaine, Bolton Wanderers and Hull City star had been dragged to court by Lagos State Ministry of Justice on a three-count charge of failure to pay tax or make a return of his income

“I only read about it on the pages of newspapers,” the former Super Eagles captain told the media.

“No one contacted me. As a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I know very well that nobody is above the law.

“But honestly speaking, I was never contacted by anybody on issues before the court order.”

Okocha made this known as at February, but how he got himself the renew bench warrant in April following his claim of ignorance earlier lives so much to digest by admirers.