Dikko: Attempt to Arrest Me, Bad Publicity for Eagles

The Chairman, League Management Company (LMC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, has described the latest attempt by policemen to arrest him as outrageous and bad publicity for the Super Eagles.

Two unidentified policemen in mufti had attempted to arrest Dikko at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport on Sunday night on his way back from Zambia with the Super Eagles.

Two policemen who claimed to be acting on the orders of the Commissioner of Police, Abuja Command had attempted to arrest Dikko, but it was resisted by Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, his first Vice-president, Seyi Akinwunmi and the journalists around.

The policemen had fired shots into the air, threatening to shoot anybody who tried to stand on their way.
Reacting to this development through Whatsapp chat yesterday, Dikko said it was a sad development and very outrageous.

“It was a bad publicity for the national team who just recorded a major victory on its way to the 2018 World Cup. The scenario whereby the policemen fired gunshots really scared many of the players who expressed reservation of honouring national team assignments in future because their lives were not secure,” he said.

The LMC boss further stated that: “I have eight police officers attached to my house and others to my office by the Abuja CP on the orders of the Inspector General of Police, so if it’s true that my attention was needed by Abuja CP, why can’t he send for me through one of the police officers attached to me, so that means those officers have different plans”.

Dikko, who also doubles as the second vice-president, NFF, however, informed that the matter had been reported to the office of the IGP “as our safety is surely being compromised”.

He added that he is a law abiding citizen who has done nothing wrong to deserve such embarrassment from the police officers who could not even identify themselves.

“We are following the law as law-abiding citizens and to close all issues.
“We didn’t break any laws anywhere and the matters are subject to jurisdiction of the court of appeal. It’s within our right and law to take any matter to court of appeal and we would not take any steps that will compromise the appeal court process”