EFCC Begins Corruption Investigation On Amaju, Dikko, Others

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have been fed with substantive information on alleged financial impropriety of the Amaju Pinnick-led Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), and is set to investigate and take necessary action against Pinnick and three other top board members of the football federation.

Other members of the Pinnick-led NFF board fingered to be investigated are Shehu Dikko and a few others. This follows a petition it received from a former National team Coach, James Peters on May 4, 2018 with a heading ‘Monumental stealing and financial crimes in the Nigeria Football Federation’ received by the Executive Chairman of EFCC on May 4, 2018.

In the petition, Peters who, coached National teams and led them to notable victories and also served as Technical Director with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for many years, urged the antigraft agency to carry out a thorough investigation on an alleged “unprecedented stealing, corrupt practices and financial crimes being perpetrated by the current president Amaju Melvin Pinnick, the General Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi, the first vice president Barrister Seyi Akinwumi, the second vice president Mallam Shehu Dikko and a member of the Executive Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Yusuf (also known as Fresh).

The former technical director also alleged “stealing and fraudulent activities by Financial Derivatives Limited, a company cunningly brought into the NFF by Amaju Pinnick for the sole purpose of warehousing money outside the official accounts of the NFF in the Central Bank and diverting same for fraudulent activities.”

Similarly, the petition alleged that “These NFF chieftains have also used the company Mediterranean Sports Limited, belonging to Shehu Dikko, who is the Second Vice President of the Executive Committee, Chairman of the League Management Company, a body saddled with the responsibility of running the elite league, and attracts millions of dollars from sponsorships and Chairman, Marketing and Sponsorship sub-committee of the NFF to collect over 40% of revenues from the numerous sponsors of the NFF.”