The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), through its Refereeing Development Committee, has handed down a series of indefinite suspensions to referees and assistant referees across the NPFL, NNL and NWFL, following what it described as poor and inconsistent application of the Laws of the Game.
In a circular dated 13 December 2025 and addressed to affected officials through their respective State Football Associations, the Committee explained that the sanctions were imposed to curb recurring officiating excesses, restore confidence in match officials and protect the integrity of Nigerian football.
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According to the Committee, an extensive review of match footage and official reports from several league fixtures exposed serious errors that directly influenced match outcomes and brought refereeing into disrepute.
The heaviest sanctions arose from the NPFL Matchday 9 fixture between Barau FC and Kano Pillars FC. Referee Anthony Eze (FCT), alongside his assistants Peter Ogwu (BA) and Aduba Ngbede (FCT), were found guilty of multiple officiating lapses, including the wrongful award of a penalty, failure to award a clear penalty at another stage of the match, and several collaborative decisions that affected the final result.
All three officials have been placed on indefinite suspension from all football-related activities.
In the NNL Matchday 4 encounter between Rovers FC and Sporting Lagos FC, assistant referee Ekpouko Ubong (AK) was also indefinitely suspended after an incorrect offside call denied Sporting Lagos a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
The Committee further sanctioned Ernest Cynthia (OG), assistant referee in the NWFL Matchday 2 match between Remo Stars Ladies and Abia Angels, for wrongly flagging an offside and disallowing a legitimate goal.
Another NNL Matchday 4 fixture, involving Mighty Jets FC and City FC, saw referee Nurah Abdullahi (ZM) suspended indefinitely for failing to protect the goalkeeper from illegal challenges, which ultimately led to a goal that altered the outcome of the match.
Referee Ahmed M. Usman (NG) was similarly punished after awarding what the Committee described as an arbitrary penalty in the NNL Matchday 5 game between Sporting Supreme FC and Bichi FC, despite clear evidence that no foul had been committed.
However, not all match officials were found culpable.
In the NNL Matchday 5 fixture between Lobi Stars FC and Basira FC, the Committee upheld the referee’s decision to award a penalty for handball, noting that the defender’s arm movement met the criteria for an offence.
The officials were fully exonerated, as subsequent incidents could not be conclusively judged due to inconclusive camera angles.
Referee Michael Adepoju (FCT), on the other hand, was sanctioned following the NNL Matchday 5 clash between Kada Warriors FC and Mighty Jets FC, after awarding a penalty based on simulation by an attacking player.
The Committee ruled that no offence occurred and imposed an indefinite suspension.
Similarly, in the NWFL Matchday 3 match between Ekiti Queens and Edo Queens, the Committee ruled in favour of the officials, stating that the offside decision under review could not be clearly determined due to poor camera coverage, leading to their exoneration.
The NFF Refereeing Development Committee, chaired by Mohammed Ameenu, reaffirmed that the decisive measures underscore the Federation’s zero-tolerance policy on poor officiating and its commitment to raising refereeing standards across all domestic leagues.
