Former Super Eagles star, Efe Sodje and brothers jailed in the UK over charity fraud, One flees to Dubai

From left: Bright Sodje, Stephen Sodje and Efe Sodje

Former Super Eagles central defender, Efe Sodje, alongside his brothers Stephen Sodje, 43, and ex-rugby player Bright Sodje, 52, were found guilty and jailed for charity fraud in 2017, BBC reports.

The three brothers were found to have siphoned more than £60,000 (over N28m) given to the Sodje Sports Foundation, their own charity set up to help African children.

They were jailed in September 2017.

Efe Sodje who represented Nigeria in the 2000 African Cup of Nations and the Korea/Japan 2002 World Cup, bagged 18 months sentence for receiving £7,500 from the SSF and an unknown amount from a clay pigeon shooting event; Bright Sodje 21 months for receiving £3,000 from the charity and signing cheques to other family members totalling £18,000 while Stephen Sodje would spend 30 months in prison for receiving £30,000 in charity funds.

A judge at the same court on Monday lifted reporting restrictions preventing publication of the result of that trial, following the completion of a number of linked legal proceedings.

The case can only be reported now following the conclusion of a separate trial involving former Reading and Nigeria footballer Sam Sodje, 39.

The fraud trial in 2017 had heard how the family set up the Sodje Sports Foundation (SSF) in 2009, ostensibly to help provide facilities in Nigeria.

However, cash raised at black-tie dinners, auctions, charity football matches and a clay pigeon shoot went into Sodje bank accounts, prosecutor Julian Christopher QC said.

In once instance, in 2011, there was a gala dinner at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester for the SSF and the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.

The £150-a-head black-tie event raised almost £11,500, but Mr Christopher said "not a penny" went to the hospital.

Judge Michael Topolski QC told the defendants: "You have brought shame upon yourselves and your family."

He said "at least £63,000 can be shown to have been received by the fund", and added that this did not include cash donations.

The defendants "went out of their way" to ensure that proper records were not kept, he said.

Any good works done in the past would be "forever tainted by their dishonest and disreputable conduct", he added.

Another of the brothers, Akpo Sodje, 37, moved to Dubai and refused to return to Britain for questioning.