Revealed: Pinnick, Others Ready To Forfeit Sealed Houses, Million of Dollars Over Corruption Charges

Revealed: Pinnick, Others Ready To Forfeit Sealed Houses, Million of Dollars Over Corruption Charges By Abdul Yahaya The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick and several other top executives of the Federation are ready to let go sealed landed properties as well as cash running into Millions of Dollars in a plea bargain to escape corruption trial by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). [caption id="attachment_54727" align="aligncenter" width="661"] Forfeiture of properties of the NFF published in the newspaper[/caption] The Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, ICPC, has conducted painstaking investigations on Pinnick as well as NFF Vice Presidents Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko, Executive Committee Member, Ahmed Yusuf ‘Fresh, General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi as well as several other principal officers of the secretariat. This was revealed on the ICPC social media handle in September, 2019. According to www.insideglasshouse.com sources close to the NFF officials, those under investigation are very much disposed to enter a plea bargain to avoid the circus of a corruption trial that will cause attention both locally and internationally (FIFA in particular) with the chances that could even fetch them jail term. “A plea bargain is very much within the right of an accused person,” a source close to one of the NFF officials defended. “The consequence is that the person will return some of what he has acquired illegally and be free to move around without further harassment. “And in the process avoid further media and public scrutiny among other possibilities.” Another source said the cases of corruption against these officials were most damning that many of them could end up in jail. “ICPC has worked a very tight case against these officials which may be very difficult to escape.” he revealed. “Nothing was left to chance and no matter how long it would have taken, some of these people will have to pay for their freedom.” It was gathered that some NFF secretariat staffers have already benefitted from the plea bargain option with the country’s other anti-graft agency, EFCC. One of the officials at the secretariat media office and another who is a Chief Operating Officer (COO) of one of the leagues refunded cash before being left off the hook. Pinnick has maintained that these investigations were merely a witch hunt and blackmail by persons desperately opposed to his administration. At the start of the ICPC investigations, a spokesperson said what the NFF officials have acquired exceeded what they could have earned by legitimate means. The anti-corruption agency had subsequently displayed on their Twitter, the seized properties belonging to Pinnick and the other top officials. Their bank accounts were also frozen. It was also gathered that the accused persons had ran to several traditional rulers like the Sultan of Sokoto, Obi of Onitsha, Oni of Ife, the Olu of Warri, both the one who died recently and the newly crowned one, as well as top-ranked government officials and politicians to scupper the ICPC investigations. Recent investigative report concluded that in the last seven years of the administration of Pinnick, over 25 Billion Naira was allegedly stolen from the NFF coffers. - insideglasshouse.com