Officials and players of Markmentors basketball team were at the weekend brutalized by irate fans of their Niger Potters counterpart in the on going Kwese sponsored Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Professional league in Minna, Niger state.
The ill- fated match between Markmentors and Niger Potters was holding at College of Education, Minna, Niger state when the crisis erupted.
Emmanuel Ndibe, Okuonghae Osarhiemen and cameraman Gideon Momoh were the worst hit during the attack in which they sustained head injuries and broken limbs.
Trouble started for Markmentors during a free throw in their favour when the unruly Niger plotters fans were sent off the court.
The visitors were leading 48:42 about six seconds to the end of the 3rd quarter when the the angry home fans pounced on the Markmentors camera man Momoh, destroyed his camera and threw him down from the spectators stand.
Momoh broke his left leg and sustained multiple injuries on his head. Markmentors players and officials who rushed to rescue their camera man were visited with severe beating with dangerous weapons.
Markmentors coach Adeka Daudu who narrated their ordeal said the irate fans let lose when they discovered “we were leading the home side”.
He added that the few security operatives at the Basketball court were overwhelmed by the irate mod who had a field day unleashing terror on them.
Markmentors Chairman, Igoche Mark in his reaction condemned the unwarranted attack on his players and officials. He therefore tasked the Basketball Federation to investigate the incident with a view to sanctioning culprits in order to serve as a deterrent to others.
An angry Igoche Mark threatened to pull his team out of the league if their safety is not guaranteed stressing ” I will pull my team out of the league rather than risk the lives of these promising young players and officials”.
“He stated:” a basketball match can go either way. If you win, Kudos. But if you lose, You go back to the drawing board and learn from your mistakes. It does not require physical combat or degenerating into a street brawl.
“Something has to be done to bring sanity during competitions especially the security of visiting teams”.
As at the time of this report, neither the Niger state Police Command nor the Basketball Federation where the incident has been reported have reacted.
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In this article:Adeka Daudu, Basketball, Igoche Mark, Kwese, Markmentors, Minna, NBBF
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