Security men forcefully evacuate Chris Giwa faction from NFF secretariat on Buhari's orders

PRESIDENCY officials have ordered the Chris Giwa faction of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to vacate from the parastatal's Abuja office immediately as the government is keen to avert a Fifa ban.

Nigeria had been facing the prospect of a Fifa ban after the federal government ordered the duly elected NFF chairman Amaju Pinnick to stand down and respect a Supreme Court ruling that negated his election. At the last NFF congress, Mr Pinnick was voted chairman but his challenger Chris Giwa, refused to accept the result and has been challenging it in court ever since.

Not only has Mr Giwa sought to overturn the verdict of the delegates legally but his faction also organised their own summit, which elected him chairman. Earlier this month, matters took a turn for the worse when the sports minister ordered the current NFF board to vacate their offices, saying it was upholding a court decision which ruled in favour of Mr Giwa.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino, has made it crystal clear, however, that the federation only recognises Mr Pinnick as the NFF chairman. With a certain Fifa ban looming, the presidency has reacted and earlier today, security men from the Department of State Services (DSS) stormed the NFF secretariat and ordered Mr Giwa and his team, who have been occupying the office out of the building.

According to one of the DSS personnel, they were acting on presidential orders from President Muhammad Buhari who was briefed about the issue on Friday by his office staff. NFF secretary general Dr Muhammed Sanusi was also reinstated by the men of the DSS alongside other members of the Pinnick board of directors.

They had all been forcefully ejected out of the NFF secretariat by the Giwa faction, after the minister upheld the high court decision. Mr Pinnick has also been directed to return back to his post as NFF president and moves are already underway to have the court case against his board evacuated from the Jos high court.