A Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) match between Barau FC and Katsina United on Saturday turned violent after Barau FC’s player, Nana Abraham, was stabbed in the neck by a pitch invader at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina.
Gatekeepers News reports that confirming the incident, Ahmad Gwale, the club’s director of media operations revealed that the attack occurred shortly after Barau FC netted an equaliser in the 69th minute.
According to Gwale, one person from the Katsina United bench or one of their fans ran onto the field and struck Abraham on the neck with something like a sharp object.
Images circulating online show the injured player lying on the pitch in pain with visible blood stains around his neck.
Following the incident, the match was briefly suspended before continuing, with Abraham substituted and taken for treatment. Gwale noted that the player is currently receiving medical care.
The violent episode adds to growing safety concerns in the NPFL, coming just months after Plateau United striker Vincent Temitope suffered a similar neck attack from a fan at Lafia City Stadium in Nasarawa.
