The League Management Company (LMC) has ordered the indefinite postponement of Kano Pillars’ Glo Premier League Week 1 clash with Heartland FC, following Thursday afternoon’s robbery attack that injured several players of the side.
The reigning Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions were on their way to honour the match in Owerri when armed bandits opened fire on the players having done their bus after Abaji along Abuja-Lokoja federal highway.
In a statement released by the Chief Operating Officer of LMC, Salihu Abubakar, hours after the incident, the match between Heartland and Pillars billed for the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, no longer serves as the star match of the opening day fixtures.
Abubbakar said: “Whilst we sympathize with the Club and strongly condemn this crime, Clubs are advised that the Match Day 1 fixtures will hold as scheduled except the Matches in Port Harcourt which will now serve as a double-header and will be televised live on Saturday.”
Striker Gambo Mohammed, Reuben Ogbonnaya and Eneji Otekpa all suffered gunshot injuries in the attack and were initially treated at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja.
According to one of the players, two bullets were extracted from each of the aforementioned trio. The players are yet to get over the horrible attack, which the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has described as “saddening.”
In a separate statement on Thursday, NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, condoled with players, officials and management of the club, saying: “Our hearts are with them at this tough period.”
Former Akwa United stalwart Ubong Ekpai and Adamu Murtala also sustained injuries from the gunshot attack.
