Sports

Kumaga, The Hero As Lobi Stars Pip Tornadoes In Lafia

Published

3 years ago

December 29, 2023

Lobi Stars dig deep to maintain the unbeaten home record in the north-central derby clash as Suur Kumaga’s long-range strike was all the Pride of Benue needed to pick a maximum of three points against a hard-fighting Niger Tornadoes.

Coach Eugene Agagbe welcomed Samuel Tiza back into the team, and drafted Francis Odinaka to pair with Moses Tsehuan at the heart of the defense while Sunday Chinedu started on the bench as the gaffer retained Suur Kumaga to the right back as the match gets underway.

Tornadoes had less possession in the game as the home team dominated proceedings from the beginning of the game to the 90th minute.

Stanley Oganbor almost broke the deadlock in the 3rd minute of play when he released a long-range strike that failed to hit the desired target.

Lobi Stars goalkeeper Lucky Adullahi was in the right spot to save Clinton Japthet’s close-range header when the Tornadoes winger noded on target.

Goalkeeper Enaholo had to go the extra mile to deny Tiza from his well-taken freekick as the first half ended 0-0.

Both teams returned for the final minutes of the game as Coach Agagbe replaced Samuel Tiza, and Stephen Eneji, with Suleiman Mojereola and Sunday Chinedu for more tactical play.

As the minutes ticked down, the Ikon Allah boys defended resolutely while the Yes Father boys kept faith in their philosophy of pressing forward knocking on the visitors to exploit.

However, The Shoe Get Size Boys finally made the breakthrough in the 75th minute when Suur Kumaga surged forward from the right back and converted a half-chance into a full chance when he released a long-range bullet with his left foot to beat Enaholo in goal to change the scoreline to 1-0 in favour of Lobi Stars.

The Minna-based side came all out in search of an equalizer, but Japhet’s effort was denied by the crossbar as the Shoe Gets Size boys emerged victorious in the North Central Derby upon full time to end the year on a brighter note.

With the 1-0 victory, the Food Basket Team has gathered 29 points to go joint top on the league table with Remo Stars.

Speaking after the match, Coach Eugene Agagbe thanked his side for the wonderful performance

“I thanked my boys for playing under instruction in the second half of the game, the boys played with character and it showed that they are equal to the task and are ready to get what they are looking for in the 23/24 season and our most target is to be among the first three” Agagbe maintained.

Up next, Lobi Stars will be traveling to Ilorin, to face Kwara United for another North Central derby on Matchday 17.

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Sports

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

Published

5 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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