Press Release: Handball Crisis: Sports Minister, HFN Board Fail To Turn-Up In Court

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The Minister of Sports, National Sports Commission, Board of the Handball Federation of Nigeria and Alh. Dauda Yusuf sued by the Mega Veterans Handball Limited as the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th Defendants in a suit challenging the election into the Board of the Federation, Monday, today failed to turn-up at the Federal High Court No. 8 Abuja when the matter came up for hearing.

Their absence however, did not stall the business of the day as it was confirmed from the records of the court that the originating processes and all the pending motions were duly served on all the Defendants and affidavits of service properly filed in court by the bailiff of the court. Accordingly, Mr. Terence Vembe, counsel to 24 (Twenty four) current and former elite players of the game of handball in Nigeria, moved their motion earlier filed on behalf of themselves, local and foreign based handball players, former national and foreign league players, former national team players, team managers, former team managers and handball administrators seeking to join the suit.

Counsel to the Mega veterans Handball Limited, Mr. G.O. Egbule told the court he was not opposed to the motion thus it was accordingly granted by the judge as prayed. This means that the 24 veterans are now effectively 2^nd to 25^th Plaintiffs in the suit.

Meanwhile, Mr. Vembe, a Veteran and former elite Player of the Benue Buffaloes Handball Club, Makurdi informed the court that despite the pendency of the suit the Defendants particularly the 4^th Defendant, Alh. Dauda Yusuf was still parading himself as the President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria and going around embassies of foreign countries especially Sweden trying to secure visa to travel on official engagements for the federation.

In his reaction the presiding Judge Hon. Justice E.S. Chukwu described the report as unfortunate and warned parties to desist from such actions further saying that once a matter has come before a court such actions as that of the defendants’ amount to contempt of court even without a restraining order of court.

The suit was adjourned to the 9^th day of July, 2013 for hearing.