Violence erupted at the Sani Abacha Stadium on Sunday evening as angry Kano Pillars supporters stormed the pitch, attacking match officials and visiting players of Shooting stars Sports Club (3SC) following a dramatic 1-1 draw in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 8 fixture.
The chaos reportedly began moments after the final whistle, which followed a late equaliser by Shooting stars in the 94th minute. The home fans, who had seen their side take an early lead and believed a goal was wrongly ruled out for offside earlier in the game, reacted furiously to the late leveller.
Viral video footage and eyewitness accounts confirm that irate fans breached security barriers and charged toward the centre circle, specifically targeting the match officials led by the referee. The officials were forced to flee for safety as objects were hurled onto the pitch.
The violence quickly extended to the visiting team. Several members of the Shooting Stars squad and technical crew were reportedly assaulted in the melee. Reports indicate that some 3SC players, including Ismail Ayodele and Adams Agba’a, sustained injuries during the attack.
Security personnel were eventually forced to deploy tear gas to disperse the aggressive crowd and safely escort the match officials and the Shooting Stars contingent out of the stadium.
League and Club Condemn Violence
The NPFL has strongly condemned the “disturbing reports and viral video clips” and reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance on violence, vowing to take decisive action once the official match reports are reviewed.
In a statement, Kano Pillars General Manager Ahmed Musa apologised for the incident, which he described as “disgraceful and completely unacceptable.” The club stated that several individuals involved in the unruly behaviour were arrested and handed over to the police, with a promise of imposing strict sanctions, including banning identified troublemakers from the stadium for ten seasons.
The incident is the latest in a series of crowd control issues to plague the Nigerian domestic league, raising urgent concerns about player and official safety at match venues across the country.
