The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has sealed the Lagos residence of Amaju Pinnick, president of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).
Earlier on Friday morning, the anti-corruption commission had sealed the Abuja residence of Shehu Dikko, second vice-president of the NFF. and Chairman of the League Management Company, LMC.
The ICPC officials placed the house inside Parkview Estate in Ikoyi, a highbrow area in Lagos, under lock, over corruption allegations leveled against Pinnick and other four top officials of the Board of the Nigeria football-ruling body.
Rasheedat Okoduwa, ICPC spokesperson said that Dikko’s residence was sealed because he and some NFF board members were under investigation as some of the NFF bigwigs under investigation are reported to have held rapid dialogue with their legs. But the ICPC said wherever they may run to the long hands of the law will snuff them out.
“Yes. It’s a fresh investigation involving him (Dikko) and some others,”Okoduwa said.
Aside from cases at the Abuja High Court where the SPIP is prosecuting the football administrators, the ICPC is investigating how the officials allegedly converted money meant for the federation to personal use.
Pinnick, Seyi Akinwunmi, first vice-president of NFF, Shehu Dikko, Mohammed Sanusi, secretary general of NFF and Yusuf Fresh, a board member, are expected to appear before a federal high court in Abuja on September 26, 2019, over diversion of FIFA grants reportedly running into billions of naira.
While denying corruption allegations leveled against the football body in the past, the officials have always said it is FIFA which reserves the right to probe the allegations.
The NFF has been on the watch-list of the anti-corruption agencies as it is also at present under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Special Presidential Investigation Panel on Recovery of Public Property, SPIP.