The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, football team has been crowned champions of the 2026 Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, FCT Football Tournament in Abuja.
Customs defeated National Institute for Sports, NIS, 3-0 in the final match played at the Area 3 football pitch.
The game was evenly balanced until Customs captain, Mikail Abubakar, broke the deadlock. The strike was his fifth goal of the tournament, securing his position as the competition’s top scorer.
Coach Jibril Yussuf’s NIS side pushed for an equalizer before halftime, but the Customs defence stood firm to preserve the slim lead going into the break.
In the second half, the team led by Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi Adewale took full control of the match. Familola Fatai doubled the lead after beating NIS goalkeeper Orban Osas, before Femi Omodara sealed the win with a third goal to make it 3-0.
In the third-place match, a repeat of last year’s final, defending champions Nigeria Air Force, NAF, defeated 2025 runners-up, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, 2-0.
Despite winning the Golden Boot with five goals, Mikail Abubakar of Customs was also voted the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
His teammate, Charles Ahur, was named Best Goalkeeper for his impressive displays. Before keeping a clean sheet in the final, Ahur saved two penalties in the semi-final against NDLEA.
Team NUJ won the Fair Play award.
The Chairman of the Organising Committee, Comrade Ndubueze Chidoka, thanked all participating teams, particularly debutants Nigeria Television Authority, NTA, and National Institute for Sports, NIS.
“Customs are truly champions. They won all five games they played and the standard was very high, considering all the teams played at least four matches, which made it a real tournament,” he said.
The Chairman of NUJ FCT Council, Comrade Grace Ike, who was represented by her Vice, Comrade Yahaya Ndambabo, also appreciated teams and spectators who turned out for the week-long event.
“Sports is indeed a unifier. In defeat you still see teams exchanging pleasantries with the winning team. You see officers and corporate bodies exchanging contacts. It’s nice to have fun outside our busy schedules,” she said.
Other highlights included the presentation of awards to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr. Bashir Adeniyi Adewale, who was represented by Deputy Comptroller General, Samuel Onikeku, and the Director-General of the National Institute for Sports, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu, represented by the Institute’s Librarian, Dr. Omoh Asenokhai, for his contributions to sports development.
Eight teams featured in this year’s edition: NUJ FCT Council, Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Air Force, NDLEA, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Television Authority, and FCT Football Coaches Association.
