The Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi has suspended its team manager, Gabriel Ogwuche indefinitely without pay following a petition he wrote against the club’s Vice Chairman, Dominic Iorfa alleging financial misappropriation.
The vice chairman who announced Ogwuche’s suspension recently, at a press briefing at McCarthy Stadium, Makurdi also unveiled Mr. Eugene Agagbe as the club’s new Head Coach and first indigenous coach preparatory for the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) 2023/2024 season.
Mr. Iorfa also disclosed that Ode Ogah, a former Captain of Lobi Stars has been appointed as Team Manager with Felix Kpilakaa as Welfare Officer.
He told journalists that Gabriel Ogwuche and 32 others had petitioned him to the Benue State Assets Recovery Committee, set by the state government to recover state assets illegally acquired by corrupt public officeholders and also to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The club’s vice chairman who described the petition as fictitious and malicious, said the manager was suspended indefinitely for anti-club activities, adding that a committee has been set up to look into the matter.
“I have been taken to the EFCC and Assets Recovery Committee. There are so many allegations against me. Even now, I’m still in the EFCC”, Iorfa disclosed.
He said although he has not been invited by the anti graft agency, his associate was invited to go and explain why he and Iorfa have been spending Lobi Stars’ money “recklessly” even as he noted “it’s not easy to spend government’s money especially when you have money that is given to you for something because you have to explain how you spent it”.
He revealed that “a group of persons who call themselves stakeholders went and reported me and my Team Manager believed them. He has been giving them fake information and all kinds of information. He has formed a cabal who has been taking me everywhere; EFCC, Assets Recovery”.
On why he suspended the manager at a time he petitioned him over allegations of corruption instead of defending himself first to avoid counter accusations, Iorfa maintained that the manager formed a cabal that was bent on giving out false information against Lobi Stars in order to destroy the club, hence the decision to suspend him in order to pave way for investigation into the allegations.
“I just want to let you know that he has been suspended indefinitely without pay and we have set up a 5-man committee to look into the allegations. He has been giving the club’s information out without a proper agenda”, he stressed.
Mr. Iorfa made available to journalists copies of the undated petition written against him, signed by Gabriel Ogwuche and 22 others and copied to Governor Hyacinth Alia, his Deputy Sam Ode and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Aondona Dajoh for necessary action.
