Constant fans’ violence return to NPFL
Cases of aggression and violence in the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, seem to have become a constant theme.
Earlier this month, players and officials of Ikorodu City needed the intervention of the Nigerian Army officers, before they could leave the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan after a goalless draw against Shooting Stars.
They had been held hostage by angry Shooting Stars fans following the Southwest derby.
According to Ikorodu City’s director of media and communication, Samuel Bamisebi, the away team were “locked inside the stadium to prevent the angry fans outside from coming inside”.
Days after, a Plateau United player Vincent Temitope, was stabbed in the neck following a MatchDay 33 fixture at Nasarawa United.
However, in a statement, Nasarawa United denied that Temitope was stabbed by their supporter.
The statement signed by the club’s Director of Media, Eche Amos, claimed the incident, while unfortunate, was exaggerated.
According to him, Temitope suffered only a slight bruise on the neck and was not stabbed with a knife or any dangerous weapon as claimed in the media.
Amos explained that eyewitness accounts confirmed that the individual involved in the altercation, one Bashir Bala, used his sharp fingernails during a scuffle after the player allegedly attempted to hit a spectator with a plastic chair.
The club insisted that the arrested individual is not a known supporter of Nasarawa United.
The question then becomes: why have stories like these come to colour the NPFL?
“It’s sad to see such incidents happening in 2025,” Ope Adebari, a sports analyst, reporter and producer with News Central tells DAILY POST.
“First of all, it’s a shame that lives are being lost just because of football.
“It is rather unfortunate that football institutions in Nigeria do not invest in security.
“Also, it’s a shame that Nigerian football fans result to violence whenever results don’t go their way.
“I do not think they do enough at all. They need to hold football clubs responsible for lack of proper security, fan violence and harassment of officials.
“The league body needs to ensure efficient and effective health and safety measures that every team in the league must adhere to,” he added.
Meanwhile, in a statement released on Wednesday, the NPFL said Shooting Stars “was found guilty of all three counts for failure to provide adequate security, failure to ensure proper conduct of their supporters resulting in attack on the opponents and throwing of objects to the field of play and the referees”.
The league body has fined 3SC N1million for each charge and ordered an additional N2million to be paid for the damage cost to the Ikorodu City bus.
Adebari was unimpressed by the N5million punishment meted out on the Ibadan club.
“I don’t think these measures are enough,” he said.
“I believe point deductions should be the appropriate consequence for such actions.
“This measure would help clubs to do the needful.”
Adebari has also advised the NFPL to clamp down harder on erring clubs, so it can save its dwindling image and improve viewership and financing.
He added: “We currently have only one CAF accredited stadium across the 36 states in the country.
“The league lacks consistency in terms of sponsorship and leadership and we still battle ticketing and security issues.
“My point is, one more issue makes us worse and people notice.”
