Kano Pillars Fans caused chaos at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano on Sunday evening after Shooting Stars (3SC) of Ibadan scored a dramatic 94th-minute equalizer to snatch a 1-1 draw against Kano Pillars in a Matchday 8 fixture of the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL).
Chronicle NG gathered that shortly after the away team scored, furious Kano Pillars supporters stormed the pitch, physically assaulting the referee, match officials, and Shooting Stars players.
The development forced security operatives to fire tear gas in a desperate bid to restore order.
Pictures of the incident obtained by Chronicle NG showed dozens of fans wielding sticks and other objects, breaking through the security cordon before charging at the officials, who fled toward the tunnel for safety.
The confrontation began immediately after Shooting Stars restored parity deep into stoppage time, a goal that infuriated sections of the home crowd, who accused the referee of bias.
Eyewitnesses told the press that several match officials narrowly escaped assault, while players and coaches from both sides rushed off the field amid the chaos.
“It was total confusion. Once Shooting Stars scored, the fans lost control. They jumped the barriers, ran onto the pitch, and started chasing the referee. Security had to fire tear gas to push them back,” a journalist who was at the stadium narrated.
In April, angry Shooting Stars fans held players, coaches, referees, and journalists hostage for over an hour at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan after a goalless match against Ikorodu City.
Samuel Bamisebi, spokesperson for Ikorodu City FC, confirmed that it was the intervention of military personnel that dispersed the angry crowd and evacuated those trapped in the dressing rooms.
“As you saw in the viral video, the players, coaches, and officials were held hostage inside the dressing room after the game. Even the referee and other officials, as well as some journalists,” Bamisebi said.
“So, the management later called for reinforcement, and it took the intervention of some military personnel deployed before everyone was able to leave. The military came to disperse the crowd, and everyone left unharmed.”
He explained that while no players or officials were physically injured during the incident, Ikorodu City fans were not that fortunate.
“It was our fans that were attacked. Their bus was destroyed, and one of them was injured during the process. Many of them lost their phones. When they took their phones out to record what happened, they got snatched, and they lost them,” he said.
Bamisebi also addressed claims that the stadium lights were deliberately turned off to frighten the visiting players.
“On the issue of the light being switched off, I think it was not targeted at us. The lights were switched off throughout the entire stadium, not just in our dressing rooms. None of our players and officials were injured,” he said.
