The Department of State Service have confirmed that its operatives are occupying the NFF secretariat to reduce tension. According to reports the DSS have increased its presence to avoid unlawful access into the premises.
Chris Giwa and Amaju Pinnick have been tussling for leadership position after separate elections produced the duo.
Giwa faction reportedly toke over the secretariat on July 2 after the Sports Minister directed the federation to comply with the verdict of the Supreme Court on April 27 2018.
DSS on the orders of the Federal Government stormed the secretariat days later to ensure that Pinnick remains the President of the federation barely after FIFA through its President Gianni Infantino responded that it only recognized Amaju Pinnick as the President the country’s football federation
FIFA threatened to suspend the country from all footballing activities if the federation don’t resolve its leadership crises by 20th August.
The body added in their statement, “The NFF will be suspended with immediate effect for contravening art. 14 par. 1 i) and art. 19, as well as art. 14 par. 1 a) of the FIFA Statutes. The suspension would be lifted only once the NFF, under Pinnick and General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, confirms that it has been given back effective control of the NFF and its offices.”
DSS spokesperson Nnochirionye Afunaya have stated that the security is majorly concerned with ensuring that the football federation escapes FIFA’s whip stick.
Afunaya said: “If we are still there, it is because we don’t want a breakdown of law and order by the two factions”. “We also do not want Nigeria to be banned by FIFA. Every effort is to ensure that Nigeria is not banned by FIFA. We are not backing any of the factions.”
The Federal Government according to report held a meeting with both parties last night in a bid to reach a solution though no final resolution was reported.
Chris Giwa have released a statement that he is not out to get the football federation suspended by FIFA. He said, “In any case, nobody wants Nigeria to be suspended or banned, as efforts are being made to avoid it, even as we know some people instigated it”. “We hope to resolve this unfortunate development caused by people, who think they are bigger than the country and its laws, but no matter how far they go, the long arm of the law will catch up with them someday”.