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There is fresh crisis rocking Nigerian football administration in Lagos following the alleged break-in and removal of official documents at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) liaison office at 146/148 Ogunlana Drive, Surulere.
An Abuja-based sports journalist, Sylvanus Ofekun, has now called on the Acting General Secretary of the NFF, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme, to immediately investigate the incident and secure the remaining property of the federation.
The controversy started after the NFF wrote to the Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) on September 9, 2026, requesting to take possession of the space allocated to LSFA at Ogunlana Drive to enable it renovate its Lagos liaison office.
The office, it was gathered, was graciously allocated to LSFA after its former office at Onikan Stadium was marked for renovation.
But in a swift reaction, the Chairman of LSFA, Hajji Liameed Gafar, took to social media on September 19, 2026, to challenge the ownership of the property.
In a lengthy post, Gafar argued that the property was acquired by the old Lagos Amateur Football Association (LAFA), from the Lagos Executive Development Board (LEDB) and was never formally transferred to the then Nigeria Football Association (NFA).
According to him, “to the best of the records available to me, 146/148 Ogunlana Drive was never formally transferred by LAFA to the NFA. Its use by the NFA and subsequently the NFF as a liaison office does not, by itself, constitute a transfer of ownership.”
He also wrote that he has spent years consulting relevant persons and studying records to understand the history between LAFA, NFA and NFF.
However, the matter took a criminal dimension 10 days later.
Ofekun alleged in his press statement that on September 29, 2026, Hajji Gafar “broke into the NFF safe and carted away with some documents belonging to the NFF.”
Describing the act as disturbing, Ofekun said if established, it goes beyond football politics.
“If this is true, it is no longer about who owns the building. It is about a crime,” he said.
He noted that claiming historical ownership does not give anyone right to self-help.
“A claim that the building belongs to Lagos State does not give anyone the right to break a safe and remove files. Ownership, if in dispute, should be proven with title documents and decided through due process, not self-help,” Ofekun stated.
The journalist urged Dr. Ikpeme to act fast to protect the national asset which has served Nigerian football since 1989.
Quoting relevant laws, Ofekun said the alleged act constitutes stealing and tampering with official records under Section 380 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 and Section 97 of the Criminal Code Act, which attracts up to 7 years imprisonment.
“It also amounts to burglary under Section 307 of the Lagos Criminal Law, and unauthorised access to official documents under the Official Secrets Act. The NFF, by virtue of the NFF Act 2022, is a Federal Government agency. Its documents and liaison office are Federal Government property,” he added.
He therefore called on the NFF Acting General Secretary to “immediately secure all remaining NFF files and assets at Ogunlana Drive, set up an internal inquiry into the September 29 incident, formally report the matter to the Nigeria Police, Lagos State Command, for criminal investigation and refer the conduct to the NFF Ethics and Disciplinary Committee.”
He warned that the liaison office must not be turned into what he described as “a scene of brigandage.”
The NFF is yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
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