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ECOWAS @50: 11 Countries Arrive Abuja for African Wrestling Championship
ECOWAS @50: 11 Countries Arrive Abuja for African Wrestling Championship
By: Michael Mike
Eleven member states of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are in Abuja for the 13th edition of the Subregion’s African Wrestling Tournament which begins on Thursday, 8th March 2025, to 10th Saturday March 2025.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the Director of the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC), Francis Chucks Njoaguani, said the tournament is part of activities to mark ECIWAS 50th anniversary.
Njoaguani, who is also the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Burkina Faso, said among the 12 current members of the ECOWAS, only Cape Verde failed to show interest in the tournament.
He said: “We have two categories of competition. Member states will compete against one another, first in a round robin elimination series. We’ll do eliminations until we achieve semi-finalists, four semi-finalists.
“On Friday, we will come back to the same field at the Velodrome, and we do individual weight categories. All wrestlers would fight amongst themselves in the same weight categories. So if you have 11 countries that present wrestlers in the 65 category, for instance, they will fight round robin amongst themselves, eliminate each other until we have the four semi-finalists for each of the five weight categories.
“These weight categories include 65 kilograms, which we have dedicated to just the female wrestlers. 65 kilograms and 75 kilograms, those two smaller weight categories, will be for the ladies, and then 85 kilograms, 100 kilograms and 120 kilograms will be for the male categories,” he said.
He added that all the semi-final matches, third place matches, and the final matches to determine gold, silver and bronze medalists for this year’s tournament, would take place on the final day.
He further disclosed that the winner in the team sports would earn $10,000 while the second and third positions would go home with $6000 and $3000 respectively.
He however said: “For each of the individual weight categories, there are also prices. So for the first position of each category, you get $2500, for the second position, you get $1500 and for the third position, you get $1000.
“There will be medals for all the winning athletes, and there will also be certificates of participation for all the athletes and the delegations.
The deputy director at the National Sports Commission, Ikana Mbora assured of the Nigerian government’s support for the tournament, expressing the country’s readiness to host an unforgettable event.
ECOWAS @50: 11 Countries Arrive Abuja for African Wrestling Championship
Fourteen Abducted Victims Released in Maru, Zamfara State; Two Killed in Captivity
By: Zagazola Makama
Fourteen victims abducted in December 2025, including six family members of Inspector Hussaini Abubakar of Maru Police Division, have been released by their captors.
Zagazola reliably gathered that the release occurred at about 1:00 p.m. on Feb. 26, 2026. Unfortunately, two of the victims, identified as Bashir Marafa, aged 45, and Halliru Kabiru, aged 50, were killed while in captivity.
Sources added that a pregnant woman among the abductees delivered a baby girl while in captivity. The victims are currently receiving medical attention at the General Hospital, Maru.
Fourteen Abducted Victims Released in Maru, Zamfara State; Two Killed in Captivity
Two Abducted Victims Rescued in Tsafe, Zamfara; One Killed in Bandit Attack at Talata Mafara
By: Zagazola Makama
Two persons abducted earlier this month in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State have been rescued, while a separate bandit attack in Talata Mafara LGA left one person dead and others missing.
Sources confirmed that Bashir Adamu Iyatawa, 42, and Kenneth Allahmagani, 35, both from Zaria City, Kaduna State, were abducted at Unguwar Chida Village in Tsafe on Feb. 16, 2026.
They were rescued on Feb. 26, debriefed, and later taken to a hospital for medical attention before being handed over to their relatives.
In a separate incident, armed bandits loyal to a local bandit leader, Na Sanda, attacked the outskirts of Jangebe town in Talata Mafara LGA on Feb. 27 at about 2:00 a.m.
The attack resulted in the death of Misbawu Aminu, 30, and the abduction of an unspecified number of persons to an undisclosed location.
Joint troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA and local vigilante groups are reported to be pursuing the fleeing bandits. Authorities have assured that efforts to rescue the abducted victims and apprehend the culprits are ongoing.
Two Abducted Victims Rescued in Tsafe, Zamfara; One Killed in Bandit Attack at Talata Mafara
Boko Haram Attack on CJTF Leaves One Dead in Gwoza, Borno state
By: Zagazola Makama
One member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) was killed following an ambush by suspected ISWAP terrorists along the Warave–Gwoza Road in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
Sources said the incident occurred on February 25 at about 7:30 a.m. when gunmen attacked members of the CJTF and hunters on routine patrol. Fifty-year-old Bello Adamu, a member of the CJTF, was fatally injured in the attack.
Army troops of Operation HADIN KAI, Police Tactical Units, and CJTF personnel visited the scene, documented the incident, and evacuated the victim to Gwoza General Hospital, where he was certified dead on arrival. His body was released to his family for burial according to Islamic rites.
Monitoring of the area continues to prevent further attacks.
Boko Haram Attack on CJTF Leaves One Dead in Gwoza, Borno state
Fourteen Abducted Victims Released in Maru, Zamfara State; Two Killed in Captivity
Two Abducted Victims Rescued in Tsafe, Zamfara; One Killed in Bandit Attack at Talata Mafara
Boko Haram Attack on CJTF Leaves One Dead in Gwoza, Borno state
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