Amapakabo Arrest: LMC suspends Christian Chukwu from NPFL

Enugu Rangers general manager and former Nigeria captain Christian Chukwu has been suspended from all Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) activities with "immediate effect."

Chukwu, a former Rangers player, was slammed with the suspension by the League Management Company (LMC) following his "conduct in the dispute resolution proceedings between Rangers & their former coach, Imama Amapakabo."

"Rangers General Manager, Christian Chukwu has been suspended from all NPFL activities with immediate effect pending his appearance before the Ethics Committee of the NFF," the LMC stated.

Amapakabo having won the NPFL title for Rangers for the first time in 32 years last season was shown the exit door door in April while still under contract with the club.

However Rangers terminated his contract on 10 April through an email sent to the coach which he confirmed via his Twitter account on same day.

The Nigerian champions after terminating Amapakabo's contract failed to pay up for ending the deal insisting that the coach failed to meet the terms of the deal being that in the event of a string of poor results he will be fired.

The deal also has a clause where the club would have to meet their obligation of paying the coach's wages as at when due to serve as motivation in his head coach role.

Arbitration judgment

In the wake of the back-and-forth demand between Amapakabo and Rangers over the termination of the contract by the club, the former dragged the latter before the league's court. The ruling went in favour of Amapakabo as Rangers were found to have breached the terms of the contract.

Rangers were ordered by the league company to pay N16.7 million in compensation to Amapakabo. This includes his salaries (as well as wrongful termination of the deal) between April and October this year amounting to N14.6 million and another N1.6 million for his November and December 2016 salaries.

The Enugu club were also told to cough out N600,000 for match bonuses owed the coach and $725 for international allowances while he was in charge of their Caf Champions League games earlier this year.

Amapakabo's arrest

However that judgment had barely got to public domain when Amapakabo was arrested by policemen allegedly on the orders of the Nigerian champions. The Rangers management are believed to be angry that Amapakabo has refused to return the club's official car given him while the apartment he occupied while in service to the Flying Antelopes.

Following the events surrounding the arrest of Amapakabo between Thursday and Friday, the LMC has served Chukwu an official notification dated 20 July on his suspension from the league "pending his appearance before the Ethics Committee of the NFF."

Amapakabo has since been released from police custoday and is back home with his family.