President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the prosecution of the President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, over alleged multi-billion fraud.
The Federal Government through the Presidential investigative panel headed by Okoi Obono-Obla had placed Pinnick on travel ban.
It was gathered on Saturday that Buhari gave the order for Pinnick’s prosecution when the Obono-Obla presented a preliminary investigation report to him.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also addressed a report on the NFF to the President detailing the outcome of their investigations which tallied with what Obono-Obla’s panel had submitted to the President.
EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, had in his six-page report informed Buhari that the anti-graft agency had investigated and prosecuted the Director, Finance and Administration, Christopher Andekin; Head, Finance and Administration, NFF, Jafaru Mamzah and a cashier with the Finance and Administration department of the NFF, Rajan Zaka.
Magu said the accused have been prosecuted over an alleged financial scam in the football governing house in connection with financial payments from Federation of International Football Associations (Fifa) and Confederation of African Football (Caf) to NFF between January 2014 to June 2016.
It was learned that President Buhari was said to have been visibly angry over the alleged monumental scam and ordered Pinnick to also be prosecuted.
He directed Magu to embark on a wider investigation into the remittances to the NFF between 2017 and 2018.
The President, who was reportedly shocked by the mind-boggling report and additional revelations directed Magu to ensure a comprehensive and discreet investigation with watertight and unassailable facts and pieces of evidence that would nail the suspects at the court.
According to the EFCC preliminary report, EFCC stated that it commenced full investigation into the finances of the NFF where it discovered that the domiciliary accounts of the NFF domiciled with Zenith Bank and UBA had received total inflow of $16,417,761 from FIFA and CAF between January, 2014 and June, 2016.
The EFCC’s boss further informed Buhari that the commission also received another petition dated April 24, 2016 captioned ‘Monumental stealing and financial crisis in the Nigeria Football Federation’, from James Peters of Amal Pepple Estate, Abuja.
He stated that in the course of the investigation, the Minister of Sports forwarded to the commission, documents in support of the petition revealing sponsorship deals amounting to N1.14bn and $1.55m via his letter No. HMY &SP/003/2018/55 dates August 7, 2018.
Magu said, “Investigation into this petition has so far established that the NFF has sponsorship deals with 21 corporate organisation. The investigation further revealed that between 2008 and 2018, 11 out of the 21 corporate organisations made sponsorship payment of N5,288,990,000 and $1,550,000 to NFF as against the amounted stated in the ministers’ letter under reference above.
“One of the companies appointed as financial consultant to the NFF is owned by the 2nd Vice President of the NFF in person of Alhaji Shehu Dikko. The audit trail of the funds and its utilisation is currently ongoing with a view to prosecuting anyone found culpable of any offence.”