The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has taken disciplinary action against two match officials following the controversial decision that denied Kwara United an apparent equaliser in their Nigeria Premier Football League encounter against Enugu Rangers.
The decision, which attracted criticism after Rangers secured a narrow 1-0 victory in their Matchday 12 fixture at the Awka Township Stadium, has now resulted in an indefinite suspension for the officials involved.
In an official letter dated November 9, 2026, the NFF Refereeing Development Committee directed that Abdularasheed Jimoh and Adamu Zakari be stepped down from league and other refereeing activities.
The committee also ordered that both officials be removed from the 2026/2027 list of NPFL referees and assistant referees.
NFF cites disallowed Kwara United goal
The disciplinary action followed an incident in the 78th minute of Sunday’s encounter, when Kwara United appeared to have restored parity through Alex Jerry.
Jerry had received a throw-in from Peace Dewan before finding himself one-on-one with Rangers goalkeeper Lucky Jimoh. He calmly beat the goalkeeper, but the celebrations were cut short after the assistant referee raised his flag.
The decision sparked controversy because the centre referee had allowed the throw-in to be taken and play to continue before the sequence ended with Jerry finding the net.
The NFF subsequently described the effort as a validly scored goal that was cancelled following a purported foul throw.
In the letter addressed to Jimoh and Zakari, the Refereeing Development Committee said:
“In view of the serious nature of one of the decisions you took as Referee and Assistant Referee 1 in the matchday twelve encounter involving Rangers International FC and Kwara United FC wherein you cancelled a validly scored goal by one of the teams after a purported foul throw, I am directed to suspend you indefinitely from the League and other Refereeing activities.”
The committee further stated that the decision had consequences beyond the immediate result of the match.
“Your action did not only affect the scoreline and outcome of the match, it brought Refereeing and the game in Nigeria into disrepute.”
Two officials removed from NPFL refereeing list
The NFF’s decision goes beyond a temporary suspension, with the two officials also being removed from the list of referees and assistant referees approved for the 2026/2027 NPFL season.
The letter stated that the Refereeing Development Committee had resolved that both officials should be stepped down and delisted from the league’s officiating list.
It was signed by Mohammed Ameenu, Secretary of the Refereeing Development Committee and Head of the Refereeing Development Unit.
Copies were also sent to the NFF General Secretary and the NPFL Chief Operating Officer.
Rangers retain top spot after controversial victory
The incident occurred during a closely contested encounter in which Victor Chimezie’s 39th-minute goal secured all three points for Rangers.
The Enugu side had taken the lead through a counter-attack, with Chimezie capitalising on space behind Kwara United’s defence before beating goalkeeper Suraj Ayeleso.
Rangers protected their advantage despite sustained pressure from the visitors after the interval. Kwara United believed they had earned a point when Jerry found the net, but the disallowed goal meant the champions held on for a 1-0 victory.
The result took Rangers to 24 points from 11 matches, strengthening their position at the top of the NPFL standings.
Kwara United subsequently expressed disappointment with the outcome but praised their players’ performance against the league leaders. Head coach Ashifat Sulyman also expressed confidence that his team would recover from the defeat.
