UGANDAN POLICE PROBE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF NIGERIAN FOOTBALLER
By Blessing Nweke
Ugandan police have launched a full-scale investigation into the mysterious death of Nigerian footballer Abubakar Lawal, who reportedly fell from the third floor of Voicemall Shopping Arcade in Kampala on February. 23, 2025.
Lawal, a 29-year-old former Nigerian U-20 international footballer and striker for Ugandan Premier League club Vipers SC, was found critically injured outside the shopping mall and later pronounced dead at Entebbe Referral Hospital.
According to police reports, he had been visiting Omary Naima, a Tanzanian national, residing in one of the mall’s residential apartments. Naima told investigators that she left him alone in her apartment while preparing tea, stepping out briefly to a nearby game centre. Moments later, at around 8:00 a.m., Lawal was discovered lying on the ground below the balcony.
The police stated that preliminary investigations indicated that he had arrived at the shopping mall in his vehicle, with registration number UBQ 695G, to visit his friend, Omary Naima, who had been staying in room 416 since Feb. 24, 2025. Authorities are currently reviewing CCTV footage from the shopping mall and interrogating key witnesses to uncover the circumstances that led to Lawal’s tragic fall.
While initial reports suggested he died in a motorcycle accident along Entebbe Road, subsequent police findings confirmed he fell from the apartment balcony. The conflicting accounts have raised concerns and stirred speculation over the nature of his death. Nigerian journalist Tobi Adepoju, who was familiar with Lawal, expressed doubts about the motorcycle accident theory on his Facebook page, stating that he knew Lawal owned a car in Uganda, even during his time playing in Rwanda.
Adepoju has called on the Nigerian government to launch a separate investigation, citing suspicious circumstances surrounding the footballer’s death.
Vipers SC confirmed Lawal’s death in a statement, announcing that they were deeply saddened by the sudden and untimely passing of their beloved player and offered their thoughts and prayers to his family, fans, friends, and loved ones during that difficult time. The club added that Lawal’s body has been transferred to a medical facility for a post-mortem examination, with funeral arrangements to be announced later.
Lawal joined Vipers SC in July 2022 after two successful seasons with AS Kigali in Rwanda. His unexpected death has sent shockwaves through the football community in Nigeria, Uganda, and across Africa, with tributes continuing to pour in.
