The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has expressed frustration at reports of fracas and alleged physical attacks on fans during and after the Matchday 20 fixture between Remo Stars and Ikorodu City at Ikenne.Davidson Owumi, the NPFL Chief Operating Officer said the league body is unhappy that the alleged attacks took place even after a reconciliation meeting was held with top officials of the two clubs in attendance.”In the light of the reports and video evidence that are in our possession, the NPFL is inviting the two clubs to an investigative hearing on Monday, January 19 at our office in Abuja”, the NPFL statement read.Owumi said the hearing is to enable the league to get to the immediate end remote causes of the incident and invoke the rules to apply due sanctions to anyone or club found culpable.
3SC cruise past Enyimba, Rivers Utd protect four-point lead
The first matches of 2026 in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) produced interesting outcomes including Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) putting three past nine-time champions Enyimba on Wednesday. In the reverse fixture just a little over two weeks ago, Enyimba fired three past 3SC with Chinedu Ufere, Edidiong Ezekiel and Chidera Michael accounting for the goals. It was a different performance from the Oluyole Warriors as they beat Enyimba 3-0 at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan. Lucky Emmanuel (17’), Sodiq Ibrahim (81’) and Qamar Adegoke (89’) got the goals that ensured 3SC moved up into fourth place. In top spot and sitting six points clear of 3SC are Rivers United. Finidi George’s side made sure to maintain their four-point cushion at the top of the standings by grinding out a 0-0 draw at Rangers International. Rivers United now have 38 points, four more than second-placed Abia Warriors who slipped at home after a 1-1 draw against Plateau United. Returning to the dugout for the first since July 2025, Gbenga Ogunbote watched from the sidelines as Saka Gafar handed his Plateau United team the lead after eight minutes of action at the Umuahia Township Stadium before Emeka Obioma restored parity to help the Warriors secure a point. Ikorodu City failed to gain ground on the top-two after suffering a 1-0 defeat at Remo Stars in the Southwest Derby. Haruna Hadi scored the winning goal for the champions on 47 minutes. In the early kickoff, Daddy Abdulrahman’s goal was enough for El-Kanemi Warriors to defeat Bayelsa United. Uche Moses and Muhammad Umar got among the goals to help Barau FC to a 2-1 win over Niger Tornadoes at the Sani Abacha Stadium. Clinton Jephta scored for Niger Tornadoes on 65 minutes. Bendel Insurance, Kano Pillars and Warri Wolves won on the road by identical 1-0 scorelines at Kwara United, Nasarawa United and Wikki Tourists respectively. Emmanuel Akpan scored for Bendel Insurance while Chiedozie Okorie and Ezekiel Oroh accounted for the goals of Kano Pillars and Warri Wolves respectively. Matchday 20 in the NPFL will be rounded off on Thursday when Katsina United play hosts to Kun Khalifat FC at the Sani Abacha Stadium.
Nasarawa Utd slip up in title race after home defeat
Against the run of play, Nasarawa United suffered a 0-1 defeat at the hands of visiting Kano Pillars on Wednesday evening at the Lafia City Stadium. The home team kick-started their second stanza of the 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) campaign behind closed doors following renovation works at some portions of the stadium, with high expectations of overturning their 3-0 away loss to the same opposition a fortnight ago in Kano. Despite dominating possession throughout the encounter, the Solid Miners failed to capitalize on numerous scoring opportunities, with Umar Ada, Anas Yusuf, and Jofrank Istifanus each squandering glaring chances, which would ultimately give Chiedozie Okorie the luxury of space to score the decisive goal for Kano Pillars in the fiercely contested affair. Wednesday’s loss, which is the first at home this season for the hosts, sees the Solid Miners drop to fifth position on the league table with 32 points, ten more points ahead of Pillars who are in 18th place, a development coach Mbwas Mangut described as a bitter pill to swallow as he expressed his disappointment. Mangut believes his side deserved to take something out of the game for their superior performance but accepts dominating a game without precision in front of goal is “not just enough.” ”We were the better side today, but sometimes, that’s not just enough. ”We created chances, especially in the first-half, but we couldn’t finish them off, and they capitalized on the slip from our defender to score the goal that separated both sides. ”In fact, today’s defeat comes with a lot of pain because it’s the first time we are losing at home since the beginning of this season. ”We thought we could get a push up the ladder today, but it was rather a setback. However, the league is yet to be over. We will regroup and come back stronger in our next game, as I expect a different result. ”We acquired some new players and they are blending fast with the established players already.” Nasarawa United will now focus on their next game against Niger Tornadoes this Sunday at the Lafia City Stadium.
Baba Ganaru delighted as double over Nasarawa Utd aids survival push
Kano Pillars head coach, Mohammed Baba Ganaru, is excited after guiding his side to back-to-back wins over Nasarawa United in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). Baba Ganaru’s men took the full points off Nasarawa United in one of Wednesday’s NPFL matches following their 1-0 win. The Kano Pillars coach explained that his team needed to replicate their performance which helped them to a 3-0 win over Nasarawa United just before New Year’s Day to ensure they got themselves in a decent position to survive the drop. ”I had told my players to put the same commitment they put in our last game against Nasarawa United in Kano, and I am glad they didn’t disappoint,” he said after the match. Baba Ganaru acknowledged that Nasarawa United were the better side in the course of the match but pointed out that his team were discipline in their defensive duties “to avoid conceding.” He is now optimistic that the win at Nasarawa United will put a spring in their battle for survival after a poor start to the season. ”Nasarawa United are a very good team, and played far better today than they did against us in Kano in the last game of the first-stanza. ”We read their game plan very well, and decided to defend massively to avoid conceding against them here because they are very good on the ball. ”No doubt, today’s victory is a massive boost in our fight for survival,” said Baba Ganaru. Baba Ganaru and his team will return to Kano where they will play hosts to Abia Warriors on Sunday.
Maikaba bemoans Wikki defeat at home
Wikki Tourists head coach, Abdu Maikaba, could not hide his disappointment as he watched his side slip to a one-nil defeat to Warri Wolves in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) at their Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi. Just 18 days ago, Maikaba led his men to an impressive 2-2 draw at the Southern Delta University Stadium in Ozoro, home of Warri Wolves. However, things did not go as planned for Maikaba’s Wikki Tourists who suffered a home defeat to Ezekiel Oroh’s second half goal. Maikaba, visibly unhappy with his team’s performance, wondered how they failed to convert any of their 10 scoring chances compared to just one by the visiting Wolves side. “We created about ten chances without scoring, while they had just one and made it count,” he said after the match. The defeat represents a first at home this season for Maikaba and his men, who have now failed to win in their last seven matches including four straight matches at home. Wikki Tourists will turn their attention to their next match at Plateau United this Sunday.
Kun Khalifat make flurry of signings in race for survival
Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) newcomers, Kun Khalifat FC, have been busy in the mid-season transfer window and have signed 12 players with the second round of the campaign scheduled to kick off this Wednesday. The club have brought in Benson Kingsley Benkin, Ebuka James, Damilola Salami, James Ekebuike, Abdulrafiu Omolabi Owolabi, Blessed Iyamu and Oghenetega Ebetomame. Others are Kelechi Victor, Chinonso Charles Abah, Mohammed Adamu Danma, Shaibu Lucky Olofu and Tochukwu Solomon Odoemenam. Currently occupying bottom place in the standings, the Owerri club moved to bring in quite a handful of players to help their bid in staying in the top division in their first-ever appearance. Chief among the new signings of Kun Khalifat are Iyamu, who had a spell at Lebanese side, Al Risaleh on a two-year deal, Salami and Ebetomame, both pinched off Warri Wolves as well as Owolabi. HIGH-PROFILE DEPARTURES Despite their attempts at strengthening their playing personnel to beat the drop, Kun Khalifat FC surprisingly allowed three of their best players in the first round to leave to rivals, Barau FC in one swoop. The trio of Henry Ezeonye, Uche Moses and Ebuka Nwokorie, who accounted for 11 of their 16 goals in the first round would no longer be part of their setup to beat the drop. Kun Khalifat FC have also recalled their suspended head coach, Obinna Uzoho, in time for the start of the second round. Uzoho and his men will begin the business end of the season against Katsina United at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano this Thursday.
Wikki captain Guda assures of improved outing in second round
Wikki Tourists captain, Mohammed Idris Guda, is confident that the club will better their first round performance when they start the business end of the NPFL season. The Giant Elephant start the second round this Wednesday when they play hosts to Warri Wolves at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi and Guda believes that they will aim to improve from playing too “many draws” at home during the first round of the season. He stated that they have been working during the mid-season break to “correct our mstakes.” “The first round wasn’t good enough for us because of the many draws we played, but we are working hard to correct our mistakes,” he said to the club’s media outlet. He also took time to appeal to the club’s fans for patience, understanding, and continued support. “With the support of our fans, we believe we can bounce back stronger,” he added.
NPFL convenes peace talks between Remo Stars and Ikorodu City
The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has moved to mediate in the growing inter-club feud between Remo Stars and Ikorodu City ahead the resumption of the season on Wednesday, January 14. The two clubs have been invited to a reconciliation and peace meeting by the NPFL Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi on Tuesday, January 13 at the headquarters of the league body in Abuja. In a letter dispatched to the clubs, the NPFL expressed deep discomfort on the acrimony the clubs. ”The NPFL is deeply disturbed by the growing acrimony between the two geographically brother clubs and wishes to intervene to engender an atmosphere of peace and sportsmanship”, the letter noted. It also stated that “while we will continue to uphold the provisions of the NPFL Rules and Framework, we place premium on having cordial relationships among our clubs”. In the light of the foregoing, the COO requested that the clubs send two top management officers for the peace meeting. The NPFL is of the view that reconciling the differences between the top managers of the club will engender peace among their supporters. In the invitation letter, it was specified that none of the two officers must be below the rank of Team Manager.
Rivers Utd finish top after first round
Davidson Owumi, the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Chief Operating Officer on the second day of the new year penned a sweetheart letter to the Chairmen and General Managers of the 20 participating clubs, urging them to guard the reputation of the league as a commercial asset.In the memo titled, “Protecting and Building the NPFL Brand”, the former league top scorer assured the clubs of fairness, excellence and neutrality in leading the administrative secretariat of the league operations.”At the Secretariat and operational level, our commitment to excellence and fairness remains firm as we go into the crucial part of the season”, he stated.He commended the club administrators for their cooperation which ensured a near smooth running of the first stanza, and appealed for increased and improved level of adherence to the rules.Owumi then charged them to be the chief marketing officers of the league by guarding against unsavoury public commentary that dents the market viability of the NPFL.”It is very important to remind all of us that we have a responsibility to protect and build the NPFL asset for the good of all stakeholders.”As club leaders, you are the first Ambassadors of the NPFL because the league entity belongs to you. There will be no league without the 20 participating Clubs, hence your prime place in the affairs of the league cannot be over emphasised”.He said that a few recent negative remarks attributed to some club leaders can only lead to the erosion of the gains of the Otunba Gbenga Elegbeleye led board in the last four seasons, calling on those who feel aggrieved by some on and off field decisions, to utilise established communication channels to seek redress.”Having established the first among equals position of the clubs in the NPFL ownership structure, let us recognise the fact that no club owner or administrator should be seen or heard disparaging the League. This is equivalent to pulling down your own house while inside.”There are established channels and protocols for ventilating our grievances, which I humbly request for everyone to adhere to no matter how pained we feel about on and off field decisions. The recourse to dragging the NPFL on media platforms is detrimental to the good of the brand”, the memo continued.Concluding, the clubs leaders were reminded that there are consequences for acts that bring the league to disrepute, and noted that “while it is not the intention of the NPFL Board to wield the provisions of the Frameworks and Rules on anyone, it must be stated that we are all subject to the rules of the league at all times.”
Rivers Utd finish top after first round
Rivers United cemented their place at the top of the pile in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) after securing a 1-0 win over Rangers International on Sunday. The Pride of Rivers had to dig deep to see off Rangers at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt. In the opening moments, Rivers United winger Aniekeme Okon came close to scoring on 16 minutes but was stopped by goalkeeper George Abine. It was a tight contest into the break until centre-back Boluwaji David Sholumade headed Finidi George’s side in front seven minutes into the second half. Rangers pressed for the equalizer and thought Finidi’s team had been undone when they scored late but referee Moukhtar Bashir ruled it out for an infringement. Sholumade’s goal proved enough to see Rivers United go four points at the top ahead of second-placed Abia Warriors who have 33 points. BIG RESULTS ON THE ROAD Abia Warriors won their fourth match on the road when they stunned Plateau United at the New Jos Stadium 1-0. Taheer Abubakar’s goal on 68 minutes made sure Imama Amapakabo’s team won back-to-back matches on the road and placed them as the side with most away wins so far this season. El-Kanemi Warriors and Katsina United joined Abia Warriors as the teams that won on the road in this matchweek. Sadiq Mohammed’s goal on the stroke of halftime at the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa helped El-Kanemi to a 1-0 win over Bayelsa United. Katsina United also won by the odd goal at Kun Khalifat FC through Richard Christopher’s 39th minute goal. KANO PILLARS OUT OF BOTTOM SPOT Kano Pillars were commanding on return to their Sani Abacha Stadium home ground with a 3-0 win against Nasarawa United. Mustapha Umar (23’), Chiedozie Okorie (68′) and Jibrin Mustapha (72′) scored for Sai Masu Gida who finally move out of bottom position in the standings for the first time in 71 days since October 19. DERBY DELIGHT FOR IKORODU CITY Ikorodu City did not only claim the bragging rights in the Southwest Derby against champions Remo Stars but also played themselves into the top-three with a 1-0 win. Odinaka Alfred fired in absolute cracker from 25 yards to beat Remo Stars goalkeeper Kolimba Alladoum five minutes before halftime. The win is City’s first triumph over Remo Stars in the NPFL. Abdulaziz Dalhatu and Rickson Mendos netted in Niger Tornadoes’ 2-0 win over Barau FC at the Bako Kontagora Stadium in Minna. Chinedu Ufere, Edidiong Ezekiel and Chidera Michael scored a goal each as Enyimba overran Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) 3-0 in Aba. The tide of the game would have been different when Enyimba led by a goal but Gbolagade Adelowo missed a spot kick on 51 minutes. Warri Wolves and Wikki Tourists shared the points in a four-goal thriller at the Southern Delta University Stadium in Ozoro. Ezekiel Oroh and Seyi Mayi scored for Wolves while Imamu Bala accounted for Wikki’s two goals. A day earlier, Bendel Insurance saw off Kwara United 2-0 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City through goals from Emmanuel Akpan (19′) and Kayode Oke (42′). The second round of the NPFL will resume on January 14 while the second transfer window opens on New Year’s Day and runs till January 31.
