Mark Mentors threaten to pull out of NBBF League

Mark Mentors basketball Club are threatening to pull out of the ongoing Kwese sponsored Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Professional league if actions were not taken against those who brutalized their players during a match.

The team said they were on Thursday, brutalized by irate fans of their Niger Potters counterparts during a match in Minna, Niger state.

Mark Mentors Chairman, Igoche Mark in his reaction condemned the unwarranted attack on his players and officials. He therefore tasked the Basketball Federation to investigate the incident with a view to sanctioning culprits in order to serve as a deterrent to others.

An angry Igoche Mark threatened to pull his team out of the league if their safety is not guaranteed stressing “I will pull my team out of the league rather than risk the lives of these promising young players and officials”.

He stated:” a basketball match can go either way . If you win, Kudos. But if you lose, You go back to the drawing board and learn from your mistakes. It does not require physical combat or degenerating into a street brawl.

“Something has to be done to bring sanity during competitions especially the security of visiting teams”.

As at the time of this report, the Basketball Federation where the incident had been reported has not reacted.

Mark Mentors Team Manager, Christopher Nnaji told Fever Pitch that the illfated match between Markmentors and Niger Potters was holding at College of Education when the crisis erupted.

“Emmanuel Ndibe, Okuonghae Osarhiemen and camera man Gideon Momoh were the worst hit during the attack in which they sustained head injuries and broken limbs,” he said.

Nnaji explained that trouble started for Markmentors during a free throw in their favour when the unruly Niger plotters fans were sent off the court.

According to him, the visitors were leading 48:42 about six seconds to the end of the 3rd quarter when the angry home fans pounced on the Mark Mentors camera man Momoh, destroyed his camera and threw him down from the spectators stand.

“Momoh broke his left leg and sustained multiple injuries on his head,” the club’s spokesman said.

He added that: “Mark Mentors players and officials who rushed to rescue their camera man were visited with severe beating with dangerous weapons.”

Mark Mentors coach Adeka Daudu who narrated their ordeal said the irate fans let lose when they discovered “we were leading the home side”.