By George Aluo

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Chairman of League Management Company (LMC) Shehu  Dikko has commended  the Nigerian Police over the positive role it played in the recently concluded NPFL season.
Dikko who last  week met with the FCT Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Mustapha gave a pat on the back to the police high command for providing the needed security to the league body to enable it discharge its duties.
It would be noted that the police had after the meeting with Dikko pledged to beef up security within the LMC offices.
At the meeting, Dikko clarified, with documentary evidence to the police, that the LMC has filed an appeal against all the three orders made by the Jos High Court in the suit challenging the expulsion of Giwa FC from the League for multiple infractions of the Framework and Rules of the NPFL.
Giwa was expelled for refusing to play three commutative scheduled matches within the season. The LMC boss submitted that in accordance with legal procedures, all parties to the suit are, consequently, now before the Court of Appeal, Jos Division and have duly filed their papers for and against the appeal. The last adjourned date of the matter  at the Court of Appeal was Tuesday, 11th October, 2016.
He then urged the CP to impress on his men the need to allow the process of the law in the Court of Appeal to proceed unhindered in this matter  so as not to inhibit the jurisdiction of the Court in any way, pending the making of final orders or judgment in the case, which is totally civil in nature.
CP Mustapha in his response, said he has received appropriate legal advise both from the office of the IGP and his own FCT Command legal office on the need for the Police to maintain neutrality in this civil case since all parties are before the Court of Appeal and have submitted their issues for adjudication by that Court. He assured that the IGP places great premium on his officers  and men being law-abiding and that his Command will be guided by this position and refrain from interfering with this case and the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal.
The FCT Police boss further directed the DCP Operations to beef up security within the LMC offices and around the person of the LMC Chairman to ensure safety of all.
Dikko expressed LMC’s appreciation to the IGP Ibrahim Idris for instilling in his officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force the positive quality of being law-abiding law enforcement officers, which he said will contribute in great measure to the maintenance of public peace and order in our country and endear the IGP and the police to all Nigerians.
The LMC boss stressed that the legal battle the league body is facing was a grand  design and conspiracy to cause unnecessary confusion in the minds of the public and derail the impressive and positive developments in the league (NPFL)  under LMC.
In his words: “How can football be properly organised and played if the millions of football fans in Nigeria were to secure far reaching orders from the courts all over Nigeria regarding the different clubs they support or follow.”
In that case, for instance, an individual with the flimsiest of reason could have obtained a court order to stop Rangers International FC from playing and winning the League title and the government and people of Enugu State from experiencing and celebrating the victory of their team after 32 long years of patiently planning and toiling to lift the League trophy.
This would be the biggest tragedy in football development in Nigeria for  which all stakeholders should be outraged and stand up to collectively defend the integrity of the game we all support”.
Dikko  went on to assure football loving Nigerians that neither the LMC nor its officials have broken any Law as they only acted to defend and preserve the integrity of the public trust (NPFL) they are privileged to be managing and ensure its stability and growth within the Laws. He concluded by declaring that “LMC will continue to  follow all the right legal steps to respond to any orchestrated attack on the LMC, NPFL, the participating clubs and its officers and, we will never be distracted”