March 01, (THEWILL) — Nigerian women’s football has been shaken by the abduction of Ihotu John Rebecca, a 33-year-old defender for Pacesetter Queens FC in the Nigeria Women’s Football League Premiership, who was seized by armed assailants on the Benin Expressway while travelling home after a league fixture.
Ihotu was en route from Abuja to Makurdi in Benue State when the kidnapping occurred on Friday. Her captors have demanded a ransom of ₦20 million, according to statements from her family and club officials.
Pacesetter Queens FC head coach Akinwunmi Isogun confirmed the incident.
He said Ihotu was on her way back home after their big match as the players were given a break.
She had been heading home to her family when she was taken. Isogun also drew attention to the dangers confronting women footballers who depend on road transport because air travel remains financially out of reach in Nigeria’s underfunded women’s league.
The Benin Expressway, which links southern states to the north and is surrounded by dense forest exploited by criminal gangs, has long been identified by local security trackers as a high-risk corridor, with over 3,000 abductions recorded across southern Nigeria since 2020.
The Nigerian Football Federation and the Super Falcons have not issued official statements.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
