A new legal showdown is brewing in Nigeria’s football scene, as ex-Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia has been slapped with a 14-day ultimatum to tender a public apology and pay ₦250 million in damages to FIFA-licensed football agent John Shittu, who says Siasia’s bribery claims are not only false but have gravely damaged his reputation.
The demand is outlined in a pre-litigation notice served on Siasia by law firm Godwin Dick Inyang & Co., acting on behalf of Mr. Shittu.
The notice threatens full legal proceedings if Siasia fails to meet the demands within two weeks of receipt.
At the center of the controversy is a recent interview Siasia granted on Elegbete TV, published on June 30 on YouTube, where he alleged that Shittu—referred to as Mikel Obi’s agent at the time—offered him €50,000 to ensure the Chelsea midfielder made Nigeria’s squad for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“His agent said he would give me €50,000 so Mikel should play,” Siasia claimed, adding that Mikel had missed key qualifiers and didn’t deserve to displace players who helped secure Olympic qualification.
Shittu, through his lawyers, strongly denies ever making such an offer, calling the claim “malicious and grossly defamatory.” The notice accuses Siasia of deliberately harming Shittu’s standing within local and international football circles and demands:
A public retraction of the statements across all platforms where the interview has been distributed.
A formal apology published in The Punch, ThisDay, and prominent online outlets.
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A written commitment from Siasia to avoid any future defamatory remarks.
A ₦250 million compensation for reputational harm, loss of goodwill, and other damages.
The lawyers warn that failure to comply will result in a lawsuit seeking aggravated damages and possible court-ordered injunctions.
This latest blow comes as Siasia continues to navigate the aftermath of his previous legal woes.
In 2019, FIFA handed him a life ban for bribery related to match-fixing—later reduced to a five-year suspension by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Though unrelated to his FIFA case, this new accusation once again casts a spotlight on ethics and accountability in Nigerian football.
Whether Siasia will apologize or stand his ground in court is a story that could play out in the coming weeks.