Federal High Court Discharges Pinnick, Others In Their Alleged Corruption Case

Federal High Court Discharges Pinnick, Others In Their Alleged Corruption Case

By Niyi Busari

A Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged and acquitted the corruption allegation level against President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick and four others, BSNSports.com.ng can report.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu gave the order on Tuesday at the resumed hearing in the charge brought against them (NFF chieftains) by the Federal Government, through the now disbanded Special Presidential Investigation Panel (SPIP) on the recovery of public property.

Those discharged with Pinnick are NFF Secretary, Sanusi Mohammed; the 1st Vice-President, Seyi Akinwumi; the 2nd Vice-President, Shehu Dikko and an Executive member, Yusuff Fresh.

Amaju Pinnick, Seyi Akinwunmi, Shehu Dikko and Sanusi Mohammed having failed to appear in court despite several invitations, finally, appeared (but were not docked) before the Federal High Court, however, Ahmed Yusuf Fresh was not in court.

Pinnick and others are, in the charge 17-count charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/93/2019, accused among others, of misappropriation of $8,400,000 belonging to the football body.
The money was said to have been paid by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to the NFF as appearance fees in the group state of the Russia 2018 World Cup.

They are also accused of “moving dishonestly and intentionally the sum of about N4bn” belonging to the NFF without the consent of the NFF.

When the case was called on Tuesday, the prosecutor, Barrister Sadiq Abubakar who represented the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, started by saying that there are some charges they will like to withdraw and amend from the case file, adding that the judge should give them time to do so.

Not satisfied with his comment, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu queried, why now and why he was in court?

When Sadiq Abubakar's responds could not convince the judge, and having study the case files before her, the court then discharged them of the case without arraignment and trial.

Recall that the case was handed over to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation following President Buhari's order scrapping of the Special Presidential Investigative Panel (SPIP).