Kano Pillars retain Ahmed Musa, Rabiu Ali, Shehu Abdullahi for new NPFL season

By Wale Mustapha

Kano Pillars have confirmed the retention of Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa, veteran midfielder Rabiu Ali, and experienced defender Shehu Abdullahi ahead of the 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.

The club released the official list of retained players on Sunday as part of preparations for the upcoming campaign.

Musa and Abdullahi joined the team at the start of last season, contributing to the club’s respectable showing, although Pillars fell short of winning any major silverware or securing continental qualification.

Also included is 41-year-old Rabiu Ali, who continues with the squad amid plans to mentor younger players, working alongside Musa and Abdullahi as part of the team’s leadership core.

The list features a blend of seasoned players and emerging talents, including Muttaka Musa, Abdullahi Abubakar, Fahad Usman, Dawud Ibrahim, Abdullahi Ali, Yusuf Bala Maigoro, Naziru Auwalu Ibrahim, Aminu Adam Sani, Habibu Yakubu, Mustapha Umar, and Ibrahim Sani Halliru.

Others retained include goalkeeper Jerry Alex, Umar Sani Yakasai, Auwal Ali Malam, Imran Ahmad, Sudais Ali Baba, Zaharadeen Bello, Bright Emmanuel, Ibrahim Inuwa, Yusuf Abdullahi, and Mubarak Lawal.

Additionally, four players from the youth setup—Jibrin Yusuf, Aminu Muhammed, Mustapha Muhammed, and Muhammad Usman—have been promoted to the senior squad as the club seeks to balance experience with youth development.

The retained squad is expected to resume training next week at the club’s ground in Kano.

Meanwhile, the club is currently without a head coach following the resignation of former Technical Adviser Usman Abdallah.

Assistant coach Ahmed Yaro-Yaro stepped in temporarily last season, but the club is actively searching for a permanent replacement.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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