NFF: FG Withdraws Corruption Case Against Pinnick, Dikko, Others

The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) has withdrawn its corruption charges against the president of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick.

The federal government’s charges bordering alleged fraud of $8.4 million and N4 billion against Pinnick were withdrawn from the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday.

The government had pressed same charges against NFF’s secretary, Sunusi Mohammed, its 1st vice president; Seyi Akinwumi, 2nd vice president Shehu Dikko, and another executive member of the federation, Yusuff Fres.

The charges were all withdrawn by the AGF’s office on Tuesday.

The AGF’s counsel notified the court that the federal government decided to withdraw the charges on the grounds that the federal government found no basis for proceeding with the case.

The case was originally instituted by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel on Recovery of Public Property (SPIP) before the AGF took over it from the presidential panel.

The defendants’ counsel, Mohammed Katu, consequently asked the court to acquit his clients since the prosecution had applied to withdraw the charges against them.

The trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, therefore discharged Pinnick the rest executive members of NFF.

THE WHISTLER had reported how, in September, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) sealed off the Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, residence of Pinnick and Dikko’s residence in Maitama, Abuja, over allegations of corruption.

Pinnick, Dikko and other executive members of NFF were alleged to have diverted FIFA grants running into billions of Naira.