Players reject Enugu as the venue of the basketball league because of insecurity

The majority of the teams participating in the NBBF Zenith Women Basketball League have registered their opposition to travelling to Enugu, where the final eight contests will be held from September 21-29, 2024.

The teams that will feature in the final phase of the league include First Bank, Dolphins, MFM, Bayelsa Whales, Customs, Royal ACES, Air Warriors and Titans.

But the enthusiasm of participating in the final eight contest seems to be weaning as most of the teams are wary of travelling to Enugu.

“These are not the good time to travel by road in Nigeria and most of the clubs have made their feelings known to the Nigeria Basketball Federation.

“There is kidnapping on the highway, the roads are not very good and besides the activities of unknown gunmen are well documented in the Southeast,” said one of the team’s officials.

“We’ve had football clubs running into robberies and having accidents on the highways and so there is a genuine concern for the safety of our players. These are women and they could be high value for the criminals lying in wait.

“It would have been good if the teams were flying in and out of Enugu as it is, only very few can afford to do so. We are calling on the NBBF to rethink the venue for the safety and security of the teams and officials.”

It was gathered that the NBBF hierarchy is favourably disposed to have the tournament played in Enugu to boost the chances of a board member gunning for a top position in the upcoming elections.