*First kite in the media died midway
*Next move to stop Obono-Obla panel
Grim determination of the special presidential investigative panel on public property to go ahead and prosecute the indicted officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) who are having a prima facie case to answer may be taking a new turn as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) may have been reached to help stave the entire process.
Impeccable sources disclosed to www.gongnews.net that “the NFF officials were boasting in Abuja on Tuesday that they have the full backing of the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) to avert and destroy all the machinations of our enemies.”
One of the officials told his friends, we have gone to see and brief the Minister on Tuesday. He has promised to find a way around this latest indictment. They (presidential panel) will fail. Infact, they have failed.”
Our source revealed to us that, “Malami is one of the persons the Pinnick board had always relied on in the present in the Buhari government to protect them. He (Minister) has assured them that the NFF should write a petition against the panel to his office by Wednesday morning and bring to his office and once that is done, he will ask the panel to stop the trial because of the petition.
One of the kites that was flown which did not fly was a letter dated 1st November 2018 which was allegedly written and signed by the Minister in an attempt to stop the panel’s head, Okoi Obono-Obla, from functioning in that office was published by a Kirikiri newspaper’s online version as a fresh news.
The report came hours after Mr Obono-Obla insisted that Pinnick and his friends were on the travel ban list and that his panel will go ahead with the prosecution whether they are around or not.
It would be recalled that top officials of the NFF including its president, Amaju Pinnick, Shehu Dikko, Mr Seyi Akinwunmi, the scribe, Dr Muhammed Sanusi, Alhaji Yusuf Ahmed were listed on the travel ban and may be the defendants in the prosecution which Obono-Obla said will be in court on Tuesday (yesterday) or latest by Wednesday (today).
According to Mr Obono-Obla, his panel will be expected to charge the NFF officials to court by the investigative panel after their indictment. With the conclusion of the African footballer of the year award ceremony in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, will Mr Pinnick return to Nigeria? He had vehemently denied any travel ban or prosecution around his person.(Gong News)