Justice Peter O. Affen, presiding at the FCT High Court, yesterday finally declined to add the names of President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick and the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi to a case of financial misappropriation brought before it by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
In his judgment, Justice Affen refused the amendment sought by the EFCC to include Pinnick and Sanusi to a trial involving three members of staff of the NFF (two of whom are no longer with the federation) with regards to the utilisation of $8.4million grant from world football-governing body, FIFA and which began in 2018.
It was the second time in few months that a court of law would trash allegations of financial misappropriation against the leadership of Nigeria Football Federation, vindicating their claims that such charges were as a result of envy, malice, victimisation and vendetta.
On 5th November 2019, Justice Ifeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja dismissed in its entirety a 16-count charge of financial misdeeds conflict of interest and non-declaration of assets brought against Pinnick, Sanusi, Seyi Akinwunmi, Shehu Dikko and NFF Executive Committee member, Yusuf Ahmed Fresh by the now-defunct Special Presidential Investigation Panel, saying the case should not have been brought before her in the first place.