Giwa group invades NFF, ransacks Sanusi’s office for official stamp

The Chris Giwa group for the second time in one month invaded the secretariat of the Nigeria Football Federation at Wuse Zone 7, Abuja,  on Tuesday, National Daily gathered.

The group led by armed policemen supervised by the former Deputy General Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme, forcefully ejected NFF staff who were going about their duties peacefully and asked them to go home.

Ikpeme, who was named the Secretary General of the Giwa group led policemen to General Secretary Dr. Muhammed Sanusi’s office where they ransacked the drawer in search of some official document.

One of the senior officer around in the office at the time, Mr. Bola Oyeyode, was assaulted by the policemen before they left.

The Giwa’s group invasion this afternoon was the second time in just one month, and the invasions were always carried out when the General Secretary Muhammed Sanusi and the NFF president, Amaju Pinnick were not on their seat in Abuja ,but out of the country on official duties to the FIFA World Cup.

The duo are presently in Paris, France where they are supporting the national Under-20 Women’s team, the Super Falconets competing in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.

The first invasion of the office took place on July 2, while Sanusi and Amaju Pinnick were away at the FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The Giwa group was sent packing two weeks ago by the order of the Attorney General of the federation who implemented the directive of president Muhammadu Buhari, to ensure the NFF returns to status quo in line with FIFA Statutes.

Two days after the sacking of the Giwa group by officers of the Directorate of State in Abuja, the presidential action which saved Nigeria from imminent FIFA ban, was challenged by the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, who cast aspersion on the authority of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice.

Recently the Minister of Sports charged the Ministerial Peace Committee on Nigeria Football Crisis, which he set up, headed by former chairman of the Nigeria Football Association, Col. Abdulmumuni Aminu, to speed up the peaceful resolution of the crisis which has been on since August 2015.

National Daily learnt that Giwa group venture to occupy the Nigeria Football Federation Abuja Secretariat again, the FIFA hammer will definitely fall on Nigeria whose senior national soccer team, the Super Eagles, is expected to resume the qualifiers of the 2019 African Nations Cup, which the country last played in 2013.

Nigeria, it can be recalled has not played in the Nations Cup since 2013 because of the Chris Giwa crisis, the Eagles may miss out of the 2019 edition, while the women’s national soccer team, the Super Falcons may be stopped from the 2018 African Women.

Nations Cup slated for Ghana in November, and worst still, the national women’s Under-20 team who are currently playing in the FIFA World Cup in France may be sent home if the crisis rear it’s ugly heads again.

The action of the Chris Giwa group is a clear negation from the peaceful move adopted by the FIFA recognised NFF who held an Extra Ordinary General Assembly in Benin City, Edo State last week to draw a road map to a final peaceful resolution of the crisis.

The NFF Congress ruled that the NFF Electoral process should be suspended to accommodate more qualified Nigerians and the Giwa FC which was relegated from the premier league were readmitted to play in the professional league with the league rescheduled and their matches funded by the NFF.