Corruption Charges: Dikko’s Lawyers Demand Apologies from ICPC

The legal representatives of immediate past second Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mal. Shehu Dikko, have demanded apologies from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations made against their client. The ICPC had confirmed the seizure of Dikko’s Abuja property in a published advertisement in two national newspapers.

But Dikko’s lawyer,  Mohammed Sani Katu, insisted on BBC Sport Africa that what the anti graft agency was doing was unfair media trial .

“This unfair media trial has been going on since 2019 when the ICPC published notices in newspapers for seizure of my client’s and his colleagues’ assets without any court order to back the forfeiture of my client’s assets nor inviting our clients to explain,” explained Katu.

“We immediately engaged the ICPC and they invited our client to provide documents on the properties and he honoured and provided all proofs to show that all his assets are legitimate.

“Fundamentally, the fact is that my client own the properties long before he joined NFF in 2015,” Katu stressed further.

He insisted that the case should have been thrown out by now, after saying the ICPC’s case was removed from the court rooms two years ago.

“In March 2020, the ICPC went to court to apply to withdraw the case as they were unable to provide any evidence on the properties that they say are illegally acquired,” Katu continued.

“The court duly struck out the matter on 4 March 2020. This ought to have ended all issue.”

According to Katu, Dikko, a businessman and CEO of an investment, finance and project development company, wants the ICPC to close the matter once and for all.  “The ICPC has gone to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to try to confirm if our client has declared his assets, with the CCB ruling that our client is not a public servant/official and thus not required under the constitution to declare any assets for being in the NFF executive committee.

“Hence the ICPC has no business with my client’s assets.

“It’s clear under the NFF statutes that to be a member of the NFF executive committee, the person must have an alternative means of livelihood as the NFF (role) is purely part-time and not a paid salary.”