By Trill Times News Sports Desk
Sunday’s violent scenes at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano were not just another unfortunate football incident – they were a stark reminder that Kano Pillars Football Club has become a repeat offender in Nigerian football. Supporters of the club once again descended into chaos after a late equalizer from Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC), attacking players and match officials in a shameful display that has drawn outrage from fans across the country. The question now is not whether this is new – it clearly isn’t – but why the League Management Committee (LMC) continues to tolerate it.
For more than a decade, Kano Pillars’ name has appeared in disciplinary reports with alarming frequency. Every few seasons, the same story unfolds: violence, apologies, and silence. The club has now built a disturbing reputation for repeated misconduct, and the governing body’s inaction has only emboldened this behavior.
These incidents have not happened in isolation. They form a long, painful pattern of disregard for sportsmanship and league integrity. Some of the most recent documented cases include the April 25, 2013 match against Heartland, which was abandoned after a clash between police and fans where a supporter was reportedly shot inside the stadium. During the 2013 season, fans invaded the pitch after a fixture with Enyimba. In May 2014, supporters attacked match officials following a 1–1 draw with Heartland, leading to the club’s banishment to Kaduna. Two years later, in May 2016, violent scenes broke out again during a home tie against Enyimba, where objects were thrown and team buses attacked. In June 2021, there was another pitch encroachment during a fixture with Akwa United, followed by a similar invasion in April 2022 against Katsina United that led to the match being abandoned after the visiting team’s bus was vandalized. In October 2023, fans once again invaded the pitch after a late goal by Rivers United.
Now, in October 2025, the same script has replayed – another invasion, another apology, another stain on the league. The League Management Committee can no longer pretend that issuing statements and fines is enough. Nigerian football fans deserve better than empty press releases after every violent episode.
If the LMC must act – even if only to prove that it still holds authority – then it must do so decisively. That means closing stadiums, docking points, arresting culprits, and relocating fixtures away from volatile venues. Anything less is an insult to the players, officials, and supporters who risk their safety every match day. Turning a blind eye is no longer neutrality – it is complicity.
Football was never meant to be a battlefield. It is a game that should unite people, not divide them. The recurring scenes of fear and violence at Kano Pillars’ home ground have turned what should be a place of joy into a danger zone. True supporters lift their team through passion, not destruction. The genuine fans of Kano Pillars – and indeed, Nigerian football at large – must reject this culture of aggression.
Nigerian football stands at a crossroads. If the LMC fails to act now, the message will be clear – that violence is tolerated, that misconduct carries no consequence, and that order no longer matters in the domestic league. For too long, Kano Pillars have crossed the line without facing real accountability. This time, the line must hold.