By Aiyeku Timothy
The management of Adamawa United has vowed to proceed with its scheduled Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) game away in Lagos despite an attack on the team.
The top-tier side were ambushed by gunmen on Saturday along Benin-Ore-Lagos road while traveling to face MFM FC in a matchday 11 fixture.
The gunmen kidnapped the team driver and dispossessed players of valuables.
However, club chairman, Emmanuel Zira, while confirming the incident to KaftanPost in a telephone interview, on Saturday evening, said the team will go ahead with the game against the ‘Prayer Warriors’.
“The team is now in Lagos and will go ahead with the game,” he said.
Still searching for their first victory, Adamawa is currently rock-bottom of the NPFL standing after picking up just three points from 10 games.
When asked to confirm whether the Team Manager has been contacted by the kidnappers and what next to do, he said: “Yes, they contacted and are requesting for N50 million. We have informed the Commissioner. So we are waiting for the next line of action.”
According to Sadiq Lawal, a player who was in the bus when the incident occurred, the team returned to Benin, the Edo State capital after the attack by about eight gunmen.
He said the criminals ordered them out, took their money and phones before they discovered that the driver was taken away.
It would be recalled that two NPFL teams, Enyimba and Ifeanyi Ubah, had suffered similar fate in 2016 and 2019 respectively on their way to honour away games.
Although, no one was kidnapped in the two previous incidents, valuables were taken away but in the case involving Ifeanyi Ubah, the bus was shot at which left some players and officials critically injured.
More recently, Bauchi-based team, Wikki Tourists escaped death last week Thursday after their bus went up in flames and was burnt to the ground but leaving no one hurt.
