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By Our Correspondent

The National Association of Nigeria Footballers, NANF, has accused the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami of obstructing the trial of top Nigeria Football Federation, NFF officials in charges related to corruption and maladministration and asked President Muhammadu Buhari to look it accusation against him, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.

NANF in a release made available, alleged that the AGF has masterminded the removal of key chairmen of two anti-graft agencies and called on the president to beam his search light in the war against corruption mantra on the AGF.

NANF also alleged that if the President does not act quickly, Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practice and other related Offences Commission, ICPC would be the next target to be removed by the AGF since her has “perfected” the removals of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu and the former Chairman of defunct Special Presidential Investigation Panel, SPIP, Obono Obla.

The NANF wondered why despite several complaints of allegations levelled against the AGF which were submitted to the office of the president, yet Mr Malami was returned for another term as Attorney General of the Federation and asked the President to act because “a stitch in time saves nine.”

Below is the statement made available:

The National Association of Nigeria Footballers (NANF) Speaking from the inside of Nigeria Football is calling on President Mohammadu Buhari to also beam his searchlight on the Attorney General of the Federation and minister of Justice Abubakar Malami.

Malami is the real enemy within in the Anti- Corruption War of President Buhari. Malami is systematically misleading the President to do away with patriotic Nigerians who are dedicated to the fight against corruption in order to get his several accomplice off the hook.

First it was Obono Obla and now Ibrahim Magu. The NANF is not taking sides whether Magu and Obla are saints but we are aligning with the interim position of The Presidential Advisory committee on Anti- corruption (PACAC).

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is a typical government Parastatal that is in a massive mess of corruption that Malami as the AGF continues to shield.

Mr President the NANF did a petition to your esteemed office dated 24th may 2019. How Malami managed to return as Attorney General and Minister of Justice inspite of the flurry of petitions that inundated Mr President’s office is still a mystery to majority of Nigerians. Mr President Abubakar Malami is a mole in your kitchen cabinet and a disaster to the War against corruption.

Malami after allegedly been induced is shielding corrupt principal officers of the NFF who allegedly stole over $16.5m and another 7b Naira revenue generated as sponsorship funds. Abubakar Malami through his Director of Public Prosecution mounted undue pressure on Obono Obla former Chairman of defunct Special Presidential investigation panel (SPIP) to bark down on the investigation of top officials of the NFF.

When Obla refused to bark down and proceeded to prosecute the accused persons in charge number FHC/CR/93/2019 (Federal republic of Nigeria Vs Amaju Pinnick and others) The office of the AGF relying on an arranged spurious Petition after alleged clandestine meetings with the AGF, Director of public prosecution and the accused persons, the AGF in an orchestrated manner with intent to compromise the ongoing criminal proceeding wrote an official letter to the former chairman of SPIP dated 25-05-2019 to hand over the file in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/93/2019 before Hon. Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu.

When the former SPIP chairman refused to hand over the file, the AGF set him up to President Buhari for dismissal and eventual dissolution of the SPIP, Malami proceeded to bungle the case against the top NFF officials in Hon. Justice Ojukwu’s court.

That matter as we speak is completely abandoned by the AGF office. Still in the process of shielding the top NFF officials Malami dispatched his men to another criminal proceeding against NFF top officials being prosecuted in charge number FCT/HC/CR/324/2018 by the EFCC before Hon. Justice Peter Affen.

The AGF office interrupted proceedings and requested for a so called harmonization of all criminal charges against top officials of the NFF. One may ask at this juncture what is the interest of Malami in criminal charges against top officials of the NFF?

Abubakar Malami has also succeeded in bungling the ongoing criminal charges before Hon. Justice Affen. It is in the light of the above Mr President, that the National Association of Nigeria Footballers (NANF) calling on you that Abubakar Malami having severally breached his oath of office, should also face the Hon. Justice Salami Panel. Mr President our case is one of several complaints and accusations against the Attorney general and minister of Justice and Mr President must act now, if not Malami’s next target would be the chairman of the ICPC a gentleman diligently doing his Job.

This same Malami rubbished a supreme court Judgment in suit number SC/731/2016 for same NFF officials. Mr President a stitch in time saves nine.

HARRISON JALLA president (NANF)