By Dayo Awoniyi
Referee Victor Nyah of the Akwa Ibom State Refereeing Council has been placed on indefinite suspension by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Refereeing Committee following his controversial decision in the Nigeria National League (NNL) fixture between Rovers FC of Calabar and Ekiti United at the UJ Esuene Stadium.
The action follows Nyah’s widely criticised penalty call in favour of Ekiti United—an incident the committee says breached the Laws of the Game and had a significant impact on the outcome of the match.
In a letter signed by committee chairman Mohammed Ameenu, and routed through the Akwa Ibom State Football Association—with copies sent to the NFF President, Secretary General, and NNL Chairman—the body condemned Nyah’s handling of the incident, describing it as harmful to the integrity of Nigerian football.
“Our investigation discovered that you awarded an unjustified penalty in the match between Rovers FC and Ekiti United. Your action not only negatively affected the outcome of the match but also brought the game into disrepute,” the statement read.
With immediate effect, Nyah has been stepped down from officiating in all league and other sanctioned matches as the NFF Refereeing Committee moves to reinforce discipline and raise officiating standards across the country.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.
