Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency has confiscated property belonging to Shehu Dikko, who was vice-president of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) until last month.
The house in the capital, Abuja, is one of several properties previously confiscated from former NFF officials, including President Amaju Pinnick, during a wide-ranging raid Corruption investigation in 2019.
The Independent Commission on Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses (ICPC) confirmed the seizure of Dikko’s property in an advertisement published in two national newspapers.
“The Commission, based on the above investigation, considers that this immovable property belonging to Mr. Shehu Dikko is inflated in light of his present and past earnings and all other circumstances,” read the ICPC statement.
Back in 2019, the ICPC told ` Sport Africa it was looking into wide-ranging claims about how money to develop football had allegedly disappeared.
Dikko, who was also a former Nigerian Top League (LMC) chairman, has hit back.
But legal representatives for Dikko, who became NFF vice-president in 2015, told the ` the ICPC’s allegations against their client found no evidence that any crime had taken place.
“This unfair media trial has been ongoing since 2019 when the ICPC published notices in newspapers confiscating the assets of my client and his colleagues without a court order to support the confiscation of my client’s assets, or our clients being asked to provide an explanation,” said Mohammed Sani said Katu.
“We immediately turned on the ICPC and they asked our client to produce documents on the properties and he acknowledged and presented all the evidence to show that all of his assets are legitimate.
“Basically, my client owned the properties long before he joined NFF in 2015.”
Katu insists the case should have been dropped by now, after saying the ICPC’s case was removed from courtrooms two years ago.
“In March 2020, the ICPC went to court to seek a retraction of the case, as they could not provide evidence of the properties they say were illegally acquired,” Katu continued.
“The court duly dismissed the matter on March 4, 2020. This should have ended all disputes.
“The court unequivocally confirmed that all of the properties were property long before our client came to the NFF and no material fact or prima facie evidence was presented.”
apology wanted
Dikko gave up his position as vice-president of the Nigerian Football Association after the recent elections
The NFF, which receives its funding from the Nigerian government, has often been the subject of investigation while various anti-graft agencies investigate how money intended for football development has allegedly disappeared.
An ICPC source said the agency is still investigating Pinnick. former NFF First Vice President Seyi Akinwunmi, Board Member Yusuf Ahmed Fresh and Secretary General Mohammed Sanusi.
Even if the quintet has always been denies any wrongdoing, The ICPC said it remains firm when it comes to one of the country’s best football figures.
But Katu insists his client Dikko, a businessman and CEO of an investment, finance and project development firm, wants the ICPC to settle the matter once and for all.
“The ICPC has approached the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to try to confirm whether our client has declared his assets, with the CCB ruling that our client is not a civil servant/civil servant and therefore not under the Constitution is required to declare an asset for membership of the NFF Executive Committee.
“As such, the ICPC has nothing to do with my clients’ assets.
“Under the NFF Statutes it is clear that in order to be a member of the NFF Executive Committee the person must have an alternative livelihood than the NFF [role] is purely a part-time job and not a paid salary.
“This allows my client to engage in their private business and build their wealth while serving on the NFF board.”
An ICPC spokesman said the agency would not address Dikko and his legal representatives, who want an apology, in the media on this particular case.
Meanwhile, Sanusi and Ahmed Fresh have retained their roles at NFF, while Dikko and Akinwunmi have both failed in their attempts to replace Pinnick as NFF president last week’s elections.
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