Nigerian footballer dies after ‘falling from shopping mall’s third floor’ in Uganda

Abubakar Lawal, a Nigerian footballer, has died after allegedly falling from the third-floor balcony of a shopping mall in Uganda. 

Lawal was a striker for Viper SC, a club in the top flight of Ugandan football.

Ugandan Police confirmed the footballer’s death in a post on Monday.

The authorities said Lawal had fallen “from the third floor of Voice Mall Shopping Arcade on the morning of February 24, 2024″. 

Preliminary reports said the footballer “arrived at the shopping mall in his vehicle, registration number UBQ 695G”, and he was meeting “his friend, Omary Naima, a Tanzanian national residing in room 416 since February 20, 2024”.

“According to Naima, she left Lawal in the room preparing tea and proceeded to a game center within the mall,” the police report reads.

“Shortly after, at approximately 8:00 AM, Lawal reportedly fell from the balcony. He was rushed to Entebbe Referral Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.”

 The authorities added that CCTV footage from the facility has been retrieved, and interrogations are being conducted to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Lawal moved to Uganda in 2022 to join Vipers SC from Rwanda’s AS Kigali.

The striker had played in the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) with Kano Pillars FC, Wikki Tourists FC, and FC Nasarawa before moving to the continent.