COURT ORDERS ARREST OF OKOCHA, EX-CAPTAIN OF SUPER EAGLES

A Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the former Super Eagles Captain, Austin Okocha, a. k. a. Jay Jay Okocha for failure to appear in court several times to answer to why he has allegedly failed to pay his income taxes.

Okocha was dragged before the court by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice for failure to furnish return of his personal income tax.

On June 6, 2017 complaint was filed before the court against the former Super Eagles Captain, the case came up for the first time on Oct. 5, 2017 but he failed to appear in court.

However, after several adjournments without him appearing in court when service had been served on him, the prosecutor urged the court to issue a bench warrant for his arrest.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Adedayo Akintoye, on Jan. 29 issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the ex-Supper Eagles Captain and adjourned until February 19, 2019, for him to be produced in court.

However, on February, 2019, the prosecution had not effected the arrest, the court then ordered that on the next adjourned date, the order should have been executed.

Consequently, Justice Akintoye adjourned the case till April 15, 2019 for the execution of the bench warrant and Okocha made to appear in court for trial to commence.

Okocha was alleged to have failed to furnish return of his income tax to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Services, which indicated that he had failed to pay his income taxes.

The offences alleged to have been committed by Okocha contravened Sections 56 (a) and (b) of the Lagos State Revenue Administration Law No.8, 2006, and Section 94 (1) of the Personal Income Tax Act Cap P8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.