Court Frees NFF President, Amaju Pinnick of Corruption Charges
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has discharged and acquitted President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, of charges bordering on fraud to the tune of $8.4 million and N4 billion.
Other chieftains of the NFF who were also discharged of similar offences by the court include; Seyi Akinwunmi (1st Vice President), Shehu Dikko (2nd Vice President), Mohammed Sanusi (General Secretary) and Ahmed Yusuf (Executive Committee member).
The NFF executives were charged on 16 counts of corruption and misappropriation of the said sums from the 2014 FIFA Grant, and conflict of interest and non-declaration of assets, by the defunct Special Presidential Investigation Panel (SPIP), headed by Okon Obono-Obla.
At the court session on Tuesday, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu dismissed the entire case with all 16 charges, and acquitted the NFF chieftains, after counsel representing the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) applied to withdraw the charges.
The AGF took over the case from the office of the SPIP which originally instituted the case against the defendants.
The counsel stated that it could not proceed with the matter as the proof of evidence could not sustain the charges.
Sani Katu, counsel to the defendants applied to the court to dismiss the charges and also discharge and acquit the NFF chieftains.
Justice Ojukwu then ruled that 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.
