Chieftains of the Nigeria Football Federation, including its President, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, have been discharged and acquitted on all counts of alleged corruption charges in a case brought by the defunct Special Presidential Investigation Panel, SPIP.
The panel, headed by Okon Obono-Obla who is now on the run to avoid prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission, ICPC had filed a 16 –count charge against Pinnick, Seyi Akinwunmi (1st Vice President), Shehu Dikko (2nd Vice President), Mohammed Sanusi (General Secretary) and Ahmed Yusuf (Executive Committee member) with wild claims of alleged corruption against the men, and even subjected them to extensive media trial at home and abroad. Among the charges were misappropriation of the sums of $8.4million and N4billion, conflict of interest and non-declaration of assets.
At a point, now –fleeing Obono-Obla wrote to the Confederation of African Football, CAF twisting all the facts with regards to Nigeria’s participation in the CAF Congress of 2015.
On Tuesday, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu dismissed the entire case with all 16 charges, and acquitted the NFF chieftains in consideration of the submission of the defence and the prosecution and in line with the rules of administration of criminal justice.
The clean bill is a confirmation of the position of the NFF on all swirling allegations of corruption against its officials. Nigeria’s supreme football –governing body has always insisted that its leaders were being victimized by persons who lost elections through the ballot and were seeking other means to upturn things at Glass House, or disgruntled individuals simply on a mission of vendetta.
Only last month, a motion by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to remove the names of Pinnick and Sanusi from the witnesses’ category and add them to the list of accused persons in a case at the FCT High Court over the same $8.4million FIFA Grant was put on hold after the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation submitted that it was taking over the case with a view to ascertaining its validity, seeing that same persons were being charged spuriously in different courts and/or investigated by several agencies over the same allegations hewed out of petitions by the same individuals.
At the court on Tuesday, a counsel from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, which had taken over the case, said it could not proceed with the matter as the proof of evidence could not sustain the charges. NFF’s counsel adduced reasons why the charges could not be sustained:
1. The SPIP Investigation Report dated April 30, 2019 filed in the Honourable Court as Exhibit 7 in the Proof of Evidence and its Findings as contained in page 13 to 21 cleared the NFF officials of all allegations, based on the petition investigated by the Panel.
2. A review of the certified true copy of the NFF Bank account with the Central Bank of Nigeria found that there was no transaction of N4Billion or any amount whatsoever on November 3, 2018 as alleged in the charges filed by SPIP. It was also found that the total inflow into the said NFF account for the whole of 2018 is far less than N1billion, confirming that the alleged N4billion never existed anywhere in the first instance.
In the circumstances, the Defence Counsel applied to the court to dismiss the charges and also discharge and acquit the NFF chieftains, since the proof of evidence could not sustain the charges. The AGF office counsel did not have any objection to this submission by the defence.
The judge then ruled that in view of these facts, she had no option than to discharge and acquit the defendants on all counts, wondering why the case was brought to the court in the first place.
Defence Counsel, Barrister Sani Katu, put the issues in perspective: “The matter was adjourned till today to allow time for investigation as to whether the defendants should be arraigned or not by the Office of the Attorney General which had taken over the matter. The Office of the Attorney General went and investigated the matter and discovered that the proof of evidence could not sustain the charges. On that basis, the Office of the AGF applied to withdraw the charges and the consequence is that the defendants should be discharged and acquitted from all 16 charges, to which the court agreed.”
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11 Comments
I have so much faith in the judiciary to do justice in a matter of this magnitude. I knew the case will fail the test of time as it was obvious that somebody somewhere was pressing some evil bottons to distabilise NFF for selfish reasons.It is obvious that this has been the best NFF we have heard over time in this country .This is in line with the warnings I issued to omo9ja on this forum in respect of this matter a while ago.So, Omo9ja,now you see Pinnick and CO.can sue you for defamation.
These are the kind of times Omo9ja will claim …”I didnt watch the match”… Lolz.
Eish…me and my coconut head..!
The gods have been appeased
Of course court will dropped the case because money involved. Money changed hands and they very corrupt people.
Amaju and co didn’t do anything but CAF chased them out of their cabinets ba?
Who is fooling who between the court and NFF?
@Asoko Emmanuel, you also believed in this?
Good bye Nigeria.
The system is very corrupt. Welcome to the next level of corruption. God bless Nigeria!!!
Did you also DISCOVER them giving people money…..Pls where were you standing and watching money change hands…..who gave the money and who collected it..? Where did they exchange the money and how much…..??? LMAO
Pls share the video you took while the money was changing hands or share the link to the video. Lolz
Maybe you didnt read the story well….
” A review of the certified true copy of the NFF Bank account with the Central Bank of Nigeria found that there was no transaction of N4Billion or any amount whatsoever on November 3, 2018 as alleged in the charges filed by SPIP. It was also found that the total inflow into the said NFF account for the whole of 2018 is far less than N1billion, confirming that the alleged N4billion never existed anywhere in the first instance.
In the circumstances, the Defence Counsel applied to the court to dismiss the charges and also discharge and acquit the NFF chieftains, since the proof of evidence could not sustain the charges. The AGF office counsel did not have any objection to this submission by the defence.
The judge then ruled that in view of these facts, she had no option than to discharge and acquit the defendants on all counts, wondering why the case was brought to the court in the first place.”
In case the English wey dem write too big for you…I fit epp you translate am o..!
According to this news before now.
Dr. Drey, your behavior shows that you don’t want progress for our Country.
Read the news below here.
Group alleges 5 million Naira bribe for each NFF congress delegate to pass confidence vote
A sports advocacy group has raised an alarm over alleged plans by the embattled president of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, to bribe members of the NFF congress to pass a vote of confidence on his board at an emergency congress this weekend.
The Advocacy Group on Anti-Corruption in Sports in a statement on Monday said Pinnick has sent out invites to chairmen and secretaries of Football Associations across the 36 states of the nation for the Congress scheduled to hold in Kaduna state this coming weekend.
The group alleged that, “We have reliably gathered that Pinnick has budgeted the sum of N5 million for each participant at the upcoming congress in order to save himself from the imminent removal from office over the myriad of corrupt cases he is embroiled in.
“We call on all well-meaning Nigerians and sports stakeholders as well as the federal government to rise up and save the NFF from further decay before Pinnick finally sinks it into abyss.”
The group also urged congress members not to mortgage their conscience, saying money for development should not be used to bribe Congress members.
The group added: “We call on members to reject such bribes so as not to put themselves into trouble because taking such bribes will make our football and youths to suffer.
“Congress members must rise to save the NFF by standing firm against corruption in our football.”
While passing a vote of no confidence on Pinnick, the group said “Pinnick and co should go and appear in court to clear themselves of the corruption charges raised against them and we call on President Muhammadu Buhari to extend his zero tolerance to corruption practice to the NFF to rid the federation of corrupt elements, whose activities drag the image of the nation in the mud.”
Our Country don finish. God bless Nigeria!!!
So If I paste news here that Omo9ja has kidnapped 3 women for money rituals, without any proofs or evidence, it automatically becomes authentic news abi….???
Nigeria is the only country where people are tried on the media before even the law enforcement agencies start investigations.
Allegations….allegations…allegations. Bring proofs to substantiate your allegations…..inaaaa…!
The said 4bn was stolen from the NFF account, wereas the NFF accounts show that all their income for the year wasnt even more than 1bn.
Omo9ja says money changed hands…oya tell us where were you standing and watching money change hands…..who gave the money and who collected it..? Where did they exchange the money and how much…..??….Omo9ja nor fit talk again.
No evidence…no case…!
The so-called faceless group that alleged certain people have been given 5m should show evidence of such…possibly video clips, bank transaction statements or they too should tell us tell us where were they standing and watching the 5m change hands…..who gave the money and who collected it..? Where did they exchange the money and which date……??
Enough of lies and media trials.
You said they lied but CAF dismissed Amaju and his group. That means the man is innocent?
I loved Amaju too much before but after that CAF scenarios, I turned my back to him.
He lied too much.
He also lied to Nigerians that he Amaju and other cabals would send Oga Rohr to a refresher course but till today, we haven’t heard from him.
I know that one day will be one day that God will send someone to this our Country that will take our Country back from this bad people.
Only in Nigeria we celebrate oppressors.
I’m wondering what will be going on at your working place because, your response to this topic tells a lot about you.
As a Dr, your patients are in trouble. I’m afraid.
You knew the truth but pretending like you didn’t know. God is watching o.
Let me leave for now. I want to watch our Golden Eaglets match. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
Oga…..You have made several allegations above….I simply asked you to substantiate it and you are beating about the bush.
Pls keep your lies to yourself and leave my workplace out of this…at least i’m not a broad day light lair like you. Amaju did this substantiate you allegations…your mouth dry up.
Amaju was not an elected executive of CAF, he was only appointed to stand in for another exco and when the time came for elective reforms, he was asked to make way.
I’ve asked you many times, substantiate your allegations with facts…..but all you do is chor chor chor chor chor up and down like a jobless amebo housewife.
Nigeria! nigeria!! nigeria!!!
Zoo my country!!!!
Why do iur leaders insult our sensibilities.
The day of reckoning is comming.
Arab spring is comming.
You evil leaders will pay for your wickedness to we the people.
The great days of the anger of the people, the days that the ocean of the masses anger will over flow the wall of protection you have erected around yourselves, the wall of criminal compromised nigeria army and other security agencies, it will collapse upon you like the great wall of Jericho.
That day you will wish you the criminal political class were not born.
#REVOLUTION NOW.
Nigeria! nigeria!! nigeria!!!
Zoo my country!!!!
Why do our leaders insult our sensibilities.
The day of reckoning is comming.
Arab spring is comming.
You evil leaders will pay for your wickedness to we the people.
The great days of the anger of the people, the days that the ocean of the masses’ anger will over flow the wall of protection you have erected around yourselves, the wall of criminal compromised nigeria army and other security agencies, it will collapse upon you like the great wall of Jericho.
That day you will wish you the criminal political class were not born.
#REVOLUTION NOW.