Tension erupted on Saturday during a Nigeria Premier Football League match between Katsina United and Barau Football Club after Barau FC player, Nana Abraham, was attacked and left with a deep cut on his neck when some enraged fans invaded the pitch.
The incident occurred shortly after Barau’s Orji Kalu scored in the 69th minute to level the game at 1–1, a goal that appeared to anger some Katsina United supporters inside the stadium.
Barau FC confirmed the attack in a post on their official X handle on Saturday, stating, “70′ The match is temporarily halted following an attack on Barau FC player, Nana Abraham. Katsina United | 1-1 | Barau FC.”
Just moments earlier, the club had celebrated the equaliser with another update that read, “69′ Goal! Orji Kalu levels the scores. Katsina United | 1-1 | Barau FC.”
Images from the scene showed Abraham bleeding from a neck wound as officials and teammates rushed to control the situation on the pitch. The match was briefly halted while security operatives intervened to restore order and protect the players.
Despite the tension, the game later resumed and ended 1–1 after regulation time.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Katsina United nor the NPFL management had issued an official statement regarding the incident.
This is coming barely a month after SaharaReporters broke a similar report in Kano at the Sani Abacha Stadium.
This happened after Shooting Stars (3SC) of Ibadan scored a dramatic 94th-minute equaliser to snatch a 1-1 draw against Kano Pillars in a Matchday 8 fixture of the Nigerian Premier Football League.
Shortly after the away team scored, furious Kano Pillars supporters stormed the pitch, physically assaulting the referee, match officials, and Shooting Stars players.
This forced security operatives to fire teargas in a desperate bid to restore order.
This violence led to the NPFL imposing heavy sanctions on Kano Pillars Football Club, including a ₦ 9.5 million fine, a 3-point deduction, and a 3-goal deduction, as well as the indefinite closure of the Sani Abacha Stadium.
The decision, contained in a formal document titled “FORM 16: Summary Jurisdiction Notice”, dated October 13, 2025, and signed by Davidson Owumi, the NPFL’s Chief Operating Officer, found the Kano-based club guilty of multiple breaches of the league’s Frameworks and Rules.
