Pinnick Fails To Honour ICPC Invitation, Claims Illness

Pinnick Fails To Honour ICPC Invitation, Claims Illness

By Editor

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, failed to honour an invitation to appear before anti-graft agency, ICPC, last week after claiming he was unwell.

Pinnick and the two NFF vice presidents, Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko as well as executive member Ahmed Yusuf ‘Fresh’ and general secretary Mohammed Sanusi, are under a wide-ranging investigation by ICPC.

He was to have honoured the appointment with the anti-corruption agency last Wednesday, July 8.

But he instead sent apologies through his lawyer with a complete medical report to prove that he is of poor health.

It was also gathered that, his other top officials have also been keeping very low profile since the ease of restrictions caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Pinnick and the other senior officials have been under investigation since last year.

An ICPC official said, that one of the reasons they have been under investigation is to clarify how the properties they own are far exceed what they have legitimately earned.

The agency has since seized their properties including Pinnick’s apartment in London and houses in Warri as well as Shehu Dikko's property in Abuja.

Both the ICPC and EFCC have been investigating corruption allegations against these officials running into many billions of Naira for the past six years.

These monies according to the anti-graft agencies are from government funds as well as grants from world football governing body, FIFA, and CAF.

Three NFF accounts department staff members have been arraigned before the FCT High Court for stealing over $10 million (more than 5 billion Naira) being FIFA and CAF grants meant for the development of football in Nigeria.

ScoreNigeria