Police Take Over NFF Secretariat, Chase Out Workers as Power Tussle Deepens

Following the ruling of the court sacking the NFF president and the row that ensued, the secretariat of the NFF has been placed under lock and key.

 

File photo

 

The Nigeria Football Federation secretariat at Wuse, Abuja was sealed off by a team of policemen on Monday.

 

The policemen from Wuse Divisional Police Station chased out the workers, locked the secretariat and barred people from the building.

 

According to Punch, about seven armed police officers are keeping vigil in front of the building.

 

An NFF worker who was hanging around the premises revealed that, “We were carrying out our duties when the policemen stormed the building and asked everyone to vacate the premises. All the workers moved out of the building and the police blocked the entrance and armed officers took over everywhere.”

 

The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Anjuguri Manzah, confirmed the deployment of policemen in the NFF, saying “we are only doing our duty of preserving law and order.”

 

Findings indicate that the police action may not be unconnected with the power tussle between the sacked NFF President, Amaju Pinnick and his rival, Chris Giwa.

 

Pinnick was sacked from office by a Federal High Court  sitting in Jos last Friday after  granting the prayers of Yahaya Adama and Senator Obinna Ogba, to relist a suit which among other things had sought to nullify the Warri General Assembly and the subsequent elective congress that turned in Pinnick as NFF President.

 

Justice Musa Kurya in delivering his ruling on the matter went ahead to also sustain all the previous orders of the court, effectively making Giwa the head of the federation until the final determination of the suit.

 

By the orders of the court, the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalong is compelled to recognise the Giwa-led board of the NFF by law.

 

The order also barred anybody from interfering with the duties and functions of the NFF board under Giwa’s leadership.

 

The court, by the ruling, effectively set aside all the proceedings and decisions of the Warri Extra Ordinary meeting of the September 20,  2014 and the Elective Congress of September 30, 2014 which elected Pinnick as President of the NFF.

 

Pinnick, however  has said he would appeal against the high court judgement.