Pinnick
Operatives of
the Special Presidential Investigation panel on Public Properties (SPIPP),
invaded the headquarters of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Friday to
effect the arrest of five chieftains of
the federation.
The operatives who were also armed with the
warrant of arrest could not get any of their targets due to their
unavailability as they hurriedly bolted away after getting a wind of their
impending arrest a staffer of the federation confided to Kaftan Post this
morning.
Our correspondent also gathered that there was serious face-off between the operatives of the SPIPP and men of the Nigeria Police Force before they were allowed to get access to the NFF Glass House in Wuse, Zone 7
The SPIPP had declared the Nigeria Football Federation President Amaju Pinnick as well as his two Vice-Presidents Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko to court for alleged corruption and were granted bail last week on self recognition.
Charged alongside the chieftains are the General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, executive committee member Ahmed Yusuf ‘Fresh’ and Alizor Chuks of the NFF marketing department.
A staff of the federation who prefer anonymity ,told Kaftan Post this morning that, “the only option available to the panel is to declare them wanted. Being on bail is a privilege they have abused. For the panel to have gone to court to secure a warrant and they cannot be arrested leaves them with no option than to be declared wanted. Thereafter, they can be arraigned in court.”
This paper gathered that on Thursday the NFF chieftains also refused to honour the invitation extended to them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). No any form of representation was made to the anti graft agency by their lawyers or proxies
It will be recalled that on Wednesday, the SSPPI Panel chairman Okoi Obono Obla disclosed that they are now finalising the charges against the officials
“From our investigations we have established a prima facie case of the allegations leveled against these officials,” stated Obono Obla, who is also President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Assistant on Persecutions.
“We will now file charges against them.
“They will be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.”
He added: “We have asked them to report back to the panel because when they first came, we released them on self-recognition. We gave them bail.
“We have now asked them to report back, that’s the first process in the arraignment.”
Obla also insisted this was a criminal case and FIFA will not interfere.
“Why will FIFA ban Nigeria when some people are believed to have broken the criminal laws of the country?,” he asked rhetorically.
“FIFA will not interfere in such a case, like it was in the USA, where FIFA officials faced justice for corruption.
“Somebody who has committed a crime cannot go scot free and so being a football official does not confer on you any immunity.” He concluded
