Five Athletes Disqualified, Medals Stripped, Players Removed in 2nd Niger Delta Games Probe Exit

Five athletes have been expelled from the 2nd Niger Delta Games after investigations confirmed violations of eligibility rules, ranging from falsified state-of-origin claims to age discrepancies.

Swimming star Otunla Kolade Israel, who had clinched five gold medals and one silver for Edo State, was stripped of all his titles when his National Identification Number revealed he is from Ikorodu, Lagos State.

In handball, Bayelsa’s John Vera and Ayimba Maria were disqualified for being overage in their category. Chess competitor Goodness Ekunke also faced removal after inconsistencies were found in his submitted documents.

Athletics was not spared, as Okafor Adolphus, registered under Ondo State, was disqualified when investigations revealed he is from Anambra State and had misrepresented his age.

Not all protests led to sanctions. Bright Joel Udoh (Edo, Table Tennis) and Wisdom Chibueze Nweke (Abia, Tennis) were cleared after reviews found no sufficient grounds for disqualification.

Delta State’s Ngozi Okereke Treasure was also allowed to compete in athletics despite an age discrepancy flagged by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, as no legal proof was provided to support the claim.

The disciplinary rulings reinforce the Games’ determination to uphold fairness and protect the integrity of competition across participating states.