KANO, NIGERIA Chaos erupted at the Sani Abacha Stadium on Sunday evening as furious Kano Pillars supporters invaded the pitch, attacking match officials, players, and staff of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) immediately after their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clash ended in a dramatic 1-1 draw.
Tensions boiled over when 3SC forward Adams Mustapha scored a stunning 94th-minute equaliser, cancelling out the home team’s early advantage. Enraged by the late goal and what they perceived as biased officiating, Pillars’ supporters broke through security barriers and stormed the pitch, targeting both the referee team and the visiting players.
Eyewitness reports confirm that several Shooting Stars players, including Ismail Ayodele and Adams Agba’a, were physically assaulted during the chaos. The match officials, led by referee Mohammed Tuta, also suffered attacks as they attempted to flee to safety.
Security personnel at the stadium were quickly overwhelmed by the surging crowd. In an attempt to regain control, officers fired tear gas into the stands but the move backfired, as some enraged fans hurled the canisters back onto the pitch, further intensifying the confusion.
The NPFL board has since condemned the violent attack, describing it as “a shameful act that tarnishes the integrity of Nigerian football.” The league’s management confirmed that an investigation is underway and promised that severe disciplinary action would be taken against those responsible.
This is not the first time Kano Pillars have been linked to violent fan behavior. The club has been sanctioned multiple times in the past five years for crowd trouble, accumulating fines exceeding ₦36 million since 2019.
Sunday’s incident has once again raised serious concerns about security and crowd control in NPFL venues, with many fans and analysts urging the league to impose stricter penalties and enforce stadium bans to prevent future violence.
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