Sports
Team Taraba Torments, as BetKing Wheelchair Basketball National Championship Closes in Grand Style
Joel Ajayi
The 2025 BetKing 3×3 National Wheelchair Basketball Championship came to a thrilling close in Abeokuta, Ogun State, with Team Taraba and Team Lagos emerging champions in their respective categories after an electrifying series of final matches.
The atmosphere at the indoor sports hall was charged with excitement as fans witnessed a tense and intrigue-filled finale, marking the end of what has been described as one of the most competitive editions of the tournament in recent years.
In the men’s category, Team Taraba claimed the top prize after a powerful performance, while Team Oyo settled for second place. Team Delta secured third position with a strong finish.
In the women’s category, Team Taraba dominated, clinching the gold medal. Team Delta took the silver, and Team Lagos rounded out the podium with a third-place finish.
In the mixed category, Team Lagos showcased impressive teamwork and skill to emerge champions. Team Taraba came in second, and Team Oyo earned third place.
President of the Wheelchair Basketball Federation, Seyi Johnson, expressed delight at the quality of play and the emerging talent discovered at the tournament.
“This has been an incredible championship—one of the best we’ve seen in recent years,” Johnson said. “We’ve uncovered new stars who are ready to wear the national colors, and that’s the true essence of this tournament: giving athletes a platform to shine, regardless of background or physical ability. Watching the level of competition rise across different states shows that our development efforts are yielding results.”
He added, “I’m immensely grateful to the Ogun State Government for their unwavering support, to the leadership of the National Sports Commission for championing inclusive sports, and of course to BetKing, whose consistent backing has helped keep the dream alive for so many of our athletes. This is more than basketball—it’s a movement of hope, resilience, and excellence.”
The tournament featured teams from all zones across the country and highlighted the growing strength and popularity of wheelchair basketball in Nigeria.
Sports
Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney
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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