By OLANREWAJU AKOJEDE

A brace by Nasiru Salihu on Saturday earned resilient El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri a win against Abia Warriors in the finals of the 2024 President Federation Cup.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the win was the third in the finals of the oldest cup competition in Nigeria for the Maiduguri-based team.

Salihu scored in the 32nd minute of the first half and completed his brace in the 69th minute of the action-packed finals played at the iconic Mobolaji Johnson Arena.

The final match, tagged ‘homecoming’ by the organisers, attracted important dignitaries in the sports industry.

The dignitaries at the finals included the deputy governor of Borno State, Umar Usman Kadafur, Minister of Sports Development, John Owan-Enoh and former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Chairman, Amaju Pinnick.

The Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) Chairman, Lekan Fatodu and Lagos State Football Association Chairman (LSFA) Liameed Gafaar, were also among other dignitaries who watched the final match.

The encounter, also tagged “Battle of the Warriors”, had the Desert Warriors in the driver’s seat, as Salihu’s brace got the better of Abia Warriors, when he coolly finished off his his brace in the 69th minute.

The El-Kanemi goal poacher, who had been terrorising the Abia Warriors defense, had barely completed his brace when some pitch invaders escaped the barricade to celebrate the second goal.

They were, however, whisked away by the security personnel at the Arena.

The match winner, Salihu, in an interview after the match, said that the team did their homework before Saturday’s encounter in Lagos.

“We relied on our own strategy because, on paper Abia Warriors seems to be ahead of us, but that is not our worry at all.

“We kept our cool and worked on the strategy to beat them, not minding their status as Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side,” he said.

NAN reports that El-Kanemi Warriors won the cup in 1991 and 1992.

The Desert Warriors had defeated their northern clubside Kano Pillars 3-2 in 1991 to take home the cup for the first time.

They also defended the cup with a 2-0 win over Stationery Stores in 1992 and won with the same scoreline against Abia Warriors 32 years after in 2024. (NAN)

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