The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is to investigate and take necessary action against Mr Pinnick Amaju Melvin, Mallam Shehu Dikko and three other top board members of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.
Nneka Anibeze, Media Aide to Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports, disclosed this in a statement on Friday afternoon.
Mr Pinnick is the President of NFF while Mr Dikko is the 2nd Vice President who also presides over the money-spining Nigerian Elite League.
According to Anibeze, the probe follows a petition EFCC 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 for many years urged the EFCC to carry out a thorough investigation on an alleged “unprecedented stealing, corrupt practices and financial crimes being perpetrated by the current President Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick, the General Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi, the 1st Vice President Barrister Seyi Akinwumi, the 2nd Vice President Mallam Shehu Dikko and a member of the Executive Committee Alhaji Ahmed Yusuf (AKA Fresh).
The former Technical Director also alleged “stealing and fraudulent activities by FINANCIAL DERIVATIVES LTD, a company cunningly brought into the NFF by President 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.”
