A federal high court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, struck out a case charges bordering on fraud to the tune of $8.4 million and N4 billion brought by it against Amaju Pinnick, president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The court made the decision after an application by the federal government to withdraw the case against Mr Pinnick and Sunusi Mohammed, NFF secretary; Seyi Akinwumi, the 1st vice president; Shehu Dikko, the 2nd vice president and Yusuff Fresh, an executive member, they were all accused of mismanaging monies gotten from FIFA.
The defendants were never arraigned.
At the court session on Tuesday, counsel representing the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) applied to withdraw the charges.
The AGF took over the case from the office of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel on Recovery of Public Property (SPIP) which originally instituted the case against the defendants.
The AGF said he found out that there was no basis for the charges filed against Pinnick and other executive members of the NFF.
Making his submission, Mohammed Katu, counsel to the defendants, said: “we asked that since the prosecution has applied to withdraw the charges, the defendants should be acquitted.”
Consequently, Ijeoma Ojukwu, the judge, ruled in favour of the defendants and discharged them.
