Boxing: Stakeholders Decry Fraud, Visa Racketeering In NBF
As the country is yet to recover from the global embarrassment caused by the doping cases that plagued the Nigerian boxing team to the Paris 2024 Olympics, stakeholders have condemned what they described as renewed deceptive moves by some members of the Nigerian Boxing Federation (NBF) to bring further shame to the country.
According to sources within the NBF the General Secretary Olalekan Faseesin and a former board member, Adura Olaleyin, have engaged in visa racketeering and attempted fraud in the name of the Federation.
They said both men used the influence of the NBF to secure United Kingdom visas for some unidentified boxers to represent the country at the World Boxing World Cup in Liverpool from 4th-14th September 2025.
They assert that the selection and registration of these boxers were done without the knowledge of the NBF board, and there was no national camp to select the pugilists to represent the country at the tournament.
The national coach whose responsibility is to prepare the boxers for international championship was also overlooked in the process. Investigation further revealed that those involved in this illegality have reached out to the National Sports Commission (NSC) for funding.
The NBF secretary Olalekan Faseesin and Adura Olaleyin have been accused of collecting an undisclosed amount of money from the boxers whose identity remained unknown. Fingers were also pointed at them for using the federation’s name to secure visas from the United Kingdom Embassy for the said pugilists.
The concerned stakeholders fear that if this surreptitious act is not stopped and the culprits reprimanded, it may deprive genuine Nigerian athletes from accessing the United Kingdom visa for subsequent events.
They urged the NSC to immediately investigate those involved and suspend any request concerning the World Boxing World Cup.
