Customs emerge champions of NUJ FCT football tournament

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) football team have emerged champions of the 2026 Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Football Tournament in Abuja.

Customs defeated the National Institute for Sports (NIS) 3-0 in the final played at the Area 3 Football Pitch to clinch the championship.

The game began at a steady pace before NCS captain, Mikail Abubakar, broke the deadlock to give Customs the lead.

The goal was Abubakar’s fifth of the competition, earning him the Golden Boot award as the tournament’s highest goalscorer.

NIS, coached by Jibril Yussuf, attempted to respond before the interval, but the Customs defence, led by the “border boys”, absorbed the pressure and held on to their advantage at half-time.

Customs took complete control in the second half, with Familola Fatai extending their lead after beating NIS goalkeeper, Orban Osas, to make it 2-0.

Femi Omodara then completed the scoring with Customs’ third goal to seal a 3-0 victory.

The result saw Customs maintain their unbeaten run throughout the tournament, winning all five matches they played.

In the third-place match, last year’s runners-up, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), suffered a 2-0 defeat to the 2025 champions, the Nigeria Air Force (NAF).

Abubakar’s five goals also earned him the Most Valuable Player award, completing a double at the tournament.

His Customs teammate, Charles Ahur, was named the Best Goalkeeper following his impressive performances throughout the competition.

Ahur also played a key role in Customs’ run to the final, saving two penalty kicks during the semi-final against NDLEA before keeping a clean sheet in the final.

The NUJ FCT Council team won the Fair Play Award.

Chairman of the organising committee, Comrade Ndubueze Chidoka, commended all participating teams, particularly the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the National Institute for Sports (NIS), which made their debut in this year’s competition.

“Customs are truly champions. The border inspectors won all the five games they played and the standard was very high, considering the fact that all the teams that participated played at least four games, which dubbed the competition as a tournament. To our partners, thank you so much,” Chidoka said.

The Chairman of the NUJ FCT Council, Comrade Grace Ike, also thanked the participating teams, guests and supporters who turned out for the one-week tournament.

Ike, who was represented by her Vice Chairman, Comrade Yahaya Ndambabo, commended the sportsmanship displayed by the participating teams.

“Sports is indeed a unifier. In defeat, you still see teams exchanging pleasantries with the winning team. You see officers and corporate bodies exchanging numbers. It’s nice to have fun out of our busy schedule,” she said.

One of the highlights of the closing ceremony was the presentation of an award to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Bashir Adeniyi Adewale, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General, Samuel Onikeku.

The Director-General of the National Institute for Sports, Rt. Hon. Comrade Phillip Shaibu, represented by the Institute Librarian, Dr Omoh Asenokhai, was also recognised for his contribution to sports development in Nigeria.

Eight teams participated in the 2026 edition of the tournament.

They were the NUJ FCT Council, Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Air Force, NDLEA, Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Television Authority and FCT Football Coaches Association.