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than two months away, Super Falcons coach, Randy Waldrum, is owed more than $100,000, including bonuses from last year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Na ons.

“The NFF has been facing huge financial challenges and there is an ongoing effort to resolve all the issues rela ng to unpaid wages,” Ademola Olajire, the NFF’s Director of Communica ons, told BBC Sport Africa.

“It is unfortunate, not something to be proud of and the new board of the federa on is working hard to resolve the problems”, he stated.

Ibrahim Gusau, who replaced former NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, in September, inherited some of the debts from his predecessor and has been appealing to players and officials for paence, meaning the coaches are yet to make an official complaint.

Gusau has contacted sponsors in a bid to encourage them to se le longstanding debts but the feder- a on, which receives part of its income from the government, also owes outstanding bonuses to players, including members of both the senior men’s and women’s sides.

The most recent missing payments to Super Eagles players dated back to 2021 while the Super Falcons squad boyco ed training before their 2022 Wafcon third-place play-off against Zambia over the non-payment of both bonuses and allowances.

Likewise, members of the U20 squad, who face hosts Argen na in their last-16 e on Wednesday, are also owed qualifying bonuses and tournament allowances.

It is not the first me Nigeria coaches have seen their wages go unpaid.

The list of those impacted is lengthy and includes Augus ne Eguavoen, Samson Siasia, Sunday Oliseh, Gernot Rohr, Florence Omagbemi and the late Stephen Keshi.

The NFF says it is working to se le the current arrears.

Fear Grips Residents As Hoodlums Terrorise Community, Kill Two

Kazeem Badmus

RESIDENTS of Odetoyinbo community in the OgoOluwa area of Osogbo, capital the State of Osun, are gripped by fear following the killing of two people by some hoodlums in the community.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that a commercial motorcyclist and a woman were killed last week Thursday and Friday in the area.

The upper private part of the woman, according to some residents who spoke with the medium yesterday, was cut off by her killer.

The residents said some hoodlums have been terrorising the area for the past one month, a development that has created fear in them.

Confirming the incidents, the Community Chief, High Chief Gbadebo Adeyemo, while speaking OSUN DEFENDER said he had informed the police, adding that some suspects had already been arrested.

Explaining how the incident happened, Adeyemo said the commercial motorcyclists who lived at Oke Ijetu area of the state, came home with his friend who resides in the community around 11 pm on Thursday, May 25.

The commercial motorcyclist, according to Adeyemo, had altercaon with some hoodlums in the area which later resulted into free for all.

He said the Okada rider was killed in the process, adding that it was a welder who alerted the community a er he saw a pool of blood in front of his shop the following morning.

Adeyemo said: “The rate of criminal incidents are very high in the past few months and it is giving me a sleepless night.

“Someone from this area went to visit his friend in Oke Ijetu and was there ll late at night. When he decided to come back home, he couldn’t get a commercial bus and had to beg his friend to convey him home on his motorcycle.

“They rode from Oke Ijetu but on ge ng to this area, the fuel finished.

They saw area boys, and in the cause of asking ques ons and giving answers, the area boys descended on them.

“The person who went to visit his friend escaped but the okada rider was not lucky. He was killed on the spot.

“It was a welder who saw blood at the front of his shop the following morning that raised the alarm.

“The police tracked the suspects who killed the okoda rider to Ore, Ondo State where they were arrested.

“I was also informed about the woman whose corps was dropped in the community. Her two upper private part has been cut off. I informed the police about this and they came with the intension of evacua ng the woman.

“But they could not find her corps, forcing them to search around.

It was during this period that the police discovered the lifeless body of the okada rider beside the river”.

When asked about the hoodlums terrorising the community, Adeyemo said the thugs had been going around to harass innocent people, adding that he had already informed the police about their ac vi es.

“There was a boy called Oloke who was terrorising residents of the community during the past administra- on. I went to report him to Ataoja Divisional Police Officer. The police with the help of Amotekun corps and hunters went to raid their base.

“A er arres ng them, Oloke and his boys signed an undertaking that they will not terrorise the residents of the community again. Since then, Oloke has been the one poin ng out whoever causes trouble in the community.

“But the area boys have returned to our community. They are led by someone called Koko. They are claiming to be the one in town now since there is a new government in the state”, he added.