A former Secretary General of the then Nigeria Football Association (NFA) Hon. Ahmed Sani Toro, has called on the federal government to immediately set up an investigative committee to unravel the causes of the stampede that occurred at the MKO Abiola national stadium on Tuesday.
It will be recalled that after the return leg of the 2022 World Cup playoff between Nigeria and Ghana ended 1-1, angry football fans invaded the pitch and vandalised properties at the stadium.
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In addition, a CAF official on duty, Joseph Kabungo from Zambia, suffered what is believed to be cardiac arrest and died a few minutes later.
Reacting to the incidents at the stadium, the former Commissioner of sports in Bauchi state said the federal government should as a matter of urgency set up a committee to investigate what he described as the show of shame in Abuja.
“This is an emergency. I am calling on Mr President to set up a committee to investigate this embarrassing incident. The acts of hooliganism and the death of a CAF official have to be investigated.
“Government should give the committee a maximum of five days to come up with its findings. We don’t know what FIFA and CAF are going to do but we have to be proactive. We should be ready to explain what really happened.
“Let us know the true position of things. Were the tickets sold more than the capacity of the stadium? What about security arrangements? Why were they unable to control the crowd at the end of the match?
“Someone must be held accountable for that shameful behaviour that could have claimed precious lives. The sports minister is not the right person to investigate this incident because he may be part of the problem,” said Toro.
Meanwhile, Sen Orji Uzor Kalu, former Governor of Abia State has called for the overhauling of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board.
“What a sad night for all soccer lovers. It is high time the entire management of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) become overhauled. In the past five years, we have been patient with incompetence in what we should be the best.
“The Federal Government and Nigerians have supported the NFF beyond measures and since they can’t give us the needed results, they should be sacked for a better and more tactical management,” he wrote.
