Wikki Tourists have taken the unusual step of publicly naming six players who have gone absent without leave during pre-season preparations, formally notifying the NFF and placing all six on notice ahead of what the club describe as a serious breach of their professional obligations.
When a Nigerian club issues a formal AWOL statement, names players individually, and copies the NFF, something has broken down that ordinary internal communication could not fix. Wikki Tourists made that move on Sunday, releasing a statement signed by club management representative Adamu Idris Pali that named six players who had failed to report for training and other official club activities without authorisation. The six are Abdullahi Pepe, Chizoba Okoh, Sani Ibrahim, Abubakar Ibrahim Aliyu, Ibrahim Shuaibu, and Barhama Mansur.
According to the statement, the club had already made efforts to reach the players and secure their return to camp before going public. Those efforts produced neither a resumption of duties nor a satisfactory explanation for the absences. The club’s position, as set out in the statement, is that the situation constitutes a serious breach of professional conduct and contractual obligations. The NFF has been formally notified for its records and for whatever action it deems necessary. Wikki Tourists fans following the club’s pre-season developments can stay up to date with all NPFL news through Nigeria’s top Bet9ja promotion code page ahead of the new season.
What the Statement Actually Says
The language of the official statement is worth reading carefully because it signals where the club’s patience runs out. The statement confirmed that despite efforts by management to establish contact and secure the players’ return, the six had neither resumed duties nor provided satisfactory explanations. That formulation matters. A player who communicates a personal or family emergency falls into a different category from one who simply stops responding. Wikki Tourists are not claiming illness or force majeure. They are saying the players have gone silent, and that silence is what triggered the formal classification as AWOL and the NFF notification.
The statement also reaffirmed the club’s commitment to discipline and professionalism, stressing that both players and officials are expected to comply with club regulations as preparations continue for the forthcoming season. Further updates on the matter will be communicated through official channels, the club said, leaving open the possibility that the situation could be resolved before it escalates into contract termination proceedings.
The Context of Pre-Season AWOL Disputes in Nigerian Football
Pre-season absences of this kind are not without precedent in Nigerian football and tend to signal one of three things a contract dispute the player has chosen to express through non attendance rather than formal negotiation, a desire to push for a transfer that the club has not approved, or a personal circumstance serious enough to keep the player away but not communicated in a way the club considers satisfactory. The statement issued by Wikki Tourists does not specify which applies to any of the six named players, and without hearing their side the picture remains incomplete. What is clear is that the club has exhausted its informal options and moved to a formal, documented process that creates a paper trail with the NFF. Wikki Tourists supporters who want to track the club’s fortunes throughout the new NPFL season can follow all the latest news and match previews at FootballInNigeria.com.ng as the 2026-27 campaign approaches.
Wikki Tourists finished the 2025-26 NPFL season with enough momentum to reach the President Federation Cup Round of 16, where they beat Kada Warriors 3-1 to advance to the quarter finals. Their top scorer, forward Mairiga, finished with 14 goals in the league campaign and was among the NPFL’s leading scorers this season. A pre-season disruption of this scale, involving six players simultaneously, creates squad planning complications that the technical staff will need to resolve before competitive football resumes.
The NFF Notification and What It Signals
Copying the NFF on an AWOL declaration is a specific administrative act that goes beyond internal housekeeping. It creates a formal record within Nigerian football’s governing body that can be referenced in future transfer windows, registration disputes, or disciplinary proceedings. Clubs take this step when they believe documentation at the federation level may be necessary to protect their position legally or contractually. Wikki Tourists are making clear that they are not treating this as a minor scheduling issue. The six players are on notice, the NFF is aware, and the club has pledged to communicate further updates through official channels.
The Bauchi based club also expressed appreciation to the Bauchi State Government, supporters, partners, and stakeholders for their continued backing amid the disruption, a gesture that places the AWOL situation in the context of ongoing institutional support that the club is determined not to let internal discipline failures undermine. What happens next will depend on whether any of the six respond meaningfully before the club escalates further. Six players simultaneously absent at the start of pre-season is a story Wikki Tourists will want resolved before a ball is kicked in anger in the new NPFL season. NPFL fans wanting to follow all the pre-season news and back Nigerian clubs when the league returns can check out the Bet9ja live chat for any account queries ahead of the new campaign.
📌 Did You Know?
- Wikki Tourists are based in Bauchi, Bauchi State, in northeastern Nigeria, and draw significant institutional support from the Bauchi State Government, which has historically been one of their most important financial backers across multiple NPFL seasons.
- The club’s name references Wikki Warm Springs, one of Nigeria’s most celebrated natural attractions, located near Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State. The Springs have been a source of regional identity and pride for the club since its formation.
- Wikki Tourists were among the founding members of the Nigeria Football League’s top-flight era and have experienced multiple relegations and promotions across their history, making them one of the most resilient yo-yo clubs in the history of Nigerian domestic football.
- An AWOL classification in Nigerian football is not simply a verbal designation. When a club formally notifies the NFF that players are absent without leave, it creates documentation that can affect a player’s registration at other clubs, their eligibility for future national team selection, and their standing in any subsequent contract dispute.
- Wikki Tourists forward Mairiga scored 14 goals in the 2025-26 NPFL season, placing him among the top scorers in the division and raising his profile considerably heading into a pre-season that has now been complicated by the simultaneous AWOL declaration involving six of his teammates.
- Wikki Tourists reached the President Federation Cup quarter-finals in the 2026 edition, beating Kada Warriors 3-1 in the Round of 16. Their quarter-final opponents were yet to be confirmed at the time of the AWOL announcement, meaning the disruption could affect cup preparations as well as league readiness.
- Pre-season AWOL disputes involving multiple players simultaneously tend to indicate systemic issues within a club’s pay or contract structure rather than individual grievances. The Wikki case, involving six players from what appears to be a cross section of the squad, raises questions about what prompted the group departure that the club’s statement does not fully address.
