NFF wants Brazilian Embassy to arrest impersonators

Stories by Albert Akota

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has called on the Embassy of Federal Republic of Brazil in Nigeria to arrest persons who come to the embassy with forged NFF letter-headed papers, introducing themselves as officials of the Federation or persons or groups known to it.

NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu disclosed that the Federation is in possession of a number of such forged letters sent to the Embassy of Brazil by some scamsters with intent of securing entry visas into that country for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals.

“We have been alerted to this scam and we are taking it seriously. Some officials in the Embassy of Brazil informed us about what is going on, and we are in possession of some letters written by these scamsters, with intention of getting entry visas into Brazil, ostensibly for the FIFA World Cup finals. People go to the embassy with forged letter-headed papers of NFF introducing themselves either as NFF officials or as being known to the Federation.

“The Nigeria Football Federation has given the Embassy of Brazil the go-ahead to arrest those persons and hand them over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution,” Amadu said.

One such letter, dated 28th April, 2014 and signed by one Akeem Oyeyode (no official of NFF bears such name), was forwarded to “The Consular Department, Brazilian Consulate, Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.”

In the letter, eight officials of a so-called Oluyole Football Club of Nigeria were introduced to the embassy as going to watch “Nigeria Matches playing against Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the 16th of June, 2014 in Brazil for the opening ceremony of the 2014 FIFA World Cup,” and urged the Consular to use “your good office for the issuance of the Brazilian Entry Visa to the team to enable them watch and support the Green Eagles of Nigeria playing against other countries in Brazil at the Mundial Cup.”