Sports

Vandalization Of Moshood Abiola Stadium: Investigative Committee Submits Report

Published

4 years ago

May 10, 2022

By Joel Ajayi

The Presidential Investigative Committee on the vandalism of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium on Monday submitted its report to the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare.

In his submission, the Chairman of the Committee, DIG Sanni Mohammed (Rtd) thanked the Federal Government through the Minister for finding the committee members worthy of the assignment, stating the Committee adhered strictly to the terms of reference and did its utmost to make far-reaching recommendations.

The Chairman revealed that in the course of their assignment, the Committee undertook a physical inspection of the Stadium, and went through its investigation adopting standard best practices. He advised that in subsequent committees of similar jurisdiction, the terms of reference should include powers to investigate “any other incidental matter relating to the subject matter”.

Throwing some light on the Committee’s recommendations, he stated thus, “One of our key recommendations is that protocol and security officials should be involved in the planning stage of future events or tournaments while the sale of bottled water and canned drinks should be banned within the precincts of the Football pitch as they can be weaponized,” DIG Mohammed (Rtd) emphasized.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ismaila Abubakar went down memory lane to narrate how the unfavorable outcome of the Nigeria-Ghana World Cup qualifier match led to the vandalism of parts of the Stadium which necessitated the setting up of the investigative Committee. He expressed optimism that the report will assist the Ministry in preventing future recurrence.

The Minister in his response after receiving the report thanked the Committee for the extensive nature of their work which he stated is very impressive. He promised full implementation of the report, whilst emphasizing its recommendations with serving as a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Ministry and NFF in planning for future events.

Restating his resolve to sanction the culprits of the vandalism, Dare assured that where they are identified in the report, the full weight of the law will be brought upon them to serve as a deterrent. The Minister though regretted the fine imposed on Nigeria as a result of the vandalism, expressed satisfaction that the Stadium was not banned as it is billed to play host to Nigeria’s first game of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in early June.

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Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

6 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.

Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.

In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.

The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.

In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.

At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.

According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.

“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.

Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.

He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.

The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.

He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.

“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.

Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.

The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.

According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.

The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.

It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.

The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.

He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.

“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.

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