Jamilu Uba Adamu serves as the Security and Safeguarding Officer of the Kano State Football Association, where he plays a central role in ensuring safety standards and risk management at football events.
He is also an active member of several committees, contributing his expertise to the planning and execution of sporting activities across different levels.
His involvement in sports is both deliberate and professional. As a Sports Officer with the Kano State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), he combines his passion for sports with a strong background in discipline, organization, and public safety.
With this dual experience in security and sports administration, Adamu often expresses concern over the repeated failure to learn from past incidents.
He finds it troubling that, despite clear precedents, stakeholders are slow to take decisive and preventive measures, allowing avoidable situations to recur instead of implementing lasting solutions.
Jamilu Uba Adamu, in a write-up circulated on social media and made available to this platform, strongly condemned the recurring security breaches at the Sani Abacha Stadium during league matches, describing the situation as both unacceptable and avoidable.
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He argued that achieving trouble-free and crisis-free matches requires a deliberate and uncompromising approach to matchday security.
According to him, comprehensive security measures must be treated as a top priority, with clear focus on preventing violence, controlling crowd movement, and safeguarding restricted areas such as the pitch, dressing rooms, and technical zones.
He emphasized that the safety of players and match officials is non-negotiable and must be protected at all times through proper planning, coordination, and enforcement.
Adamu further warned against the dangers of granting stadium access to known miscreants and habitual troublemakers, noting that their presence often triggers disorder and undermines every effort at maintaining discipline.
He stressed that the consequences of such lapses extend far beyond physical damage like broken seats or pitch invasions.
Repeated incidents, he said, damage the reputation of the club, invite sanctions and heavy fines from league authorities, and deepen the financial strain on a club already facing economic challenges.
In his view, only a firm, proactive, and zero-tolerance approach to security—supported by strict access control, intelligence gathering, and accountability—can restore order and protect the integrity of matchday operations.
According to him, the problem persists because the same fundamental mistakes are repeated time and again, unmanned access points, overcrowded terraces, and unauthorized individuals roaming in restricted areas.
He warned that such lapses create the perfect conditions for chaos, where even a single act like an object thrown at a referee or an incident in the tunnel can wipe out an entire season’s progress.
Yet, despite these risks, responses are often reactive, coming only after the damage has already been done.
Officer Jamilu Uba Adamu then outlined what he described as non-negotiable measures that must be strictly implemented to prevent further security breaches and restore order at match venues:
- Secure the Restricted Zones:
He stressed that critical areas such as dressing rooms, player tunnels, technical benches, and referees’ rooms must remain strictly off-limits to unauthorized persons.
Access, according to him, should be limited only to properly accredited officials with visible identification.
He strongly rejected any form of “big man” influence or informal clearance, insisting that rules must apply equally to everyone without exception.
- Deploy Before, Not After:
Adamu emphasized that security deployment must be proactive rather than reactive.
Personnel, he said, should be strategically positioned at all identified flashpoints well before kickoff. Relying on intervention after disorder begins, he warned, is a failed and outdated approach that only worsens situations.
- Name, Shame, and Ban:
He called for a firm system to identify, document, and permanently restrict known troublemakers from accessing stadiums.
Such individuals, he argued, should be profiled and banned without hesitation. He further stated that any club found to be shielding or encouraging such elements must also face strict disciplinary sanctions.
- Enforce Accountability:
He recommended that Match Commissioners and Chief Security Officers be required to review and approve detailed matchday safety and security plans at least 48 hours before every fixture.
This, he noted, would ensure preparedness, coordination, and clear responsibility before matches take place.
Adamu further cautioned that while football naturally thrives on passion and emotional support, unchecked passion without structure and discipline inevitably degenerates into chaos.
He warned that continuing to ignore basic security standards not only exposes stakeholders to repeated sanctions and financial penalties but also contributes to the loss of sponsorship and institutional credibility.
In his concluding remark, he noted that while the referee’s whistle signals the start of a match, it is the commitment to safety, discipline, and proper enforcement that ultimately ensures everyone players, officials and fans, returns home safely.
Adamu a Football Association security and safeguarding officer writes from Kano and can be reached via jameelubaadamu@yahoo.com
