Former Vipers SC and Nigerian footballer Abubakar Lawal has been laid to rest in his ancestral home in Sokoto, Nigeria, after a tragic fall at a mall in Entebbe
Lawal, a former Nigeria U-20 international and striker for the Ugandan Premier League side, died after falling from the third floor of the Voicemall Shopping Arcade last week.
Vipers SC, the club where Lawal played, supported his family by repatriating his body from Uganda to Nigeria.
On Monday, March 03, his body was transported from Lagos to Abuja and then flown to Sokoto via Sultan Abubakar III International Airport.
Representatives from both the Nigerian and Ugandan embassies accompanied the footballer’s remains.
In Sokoto, key figures in sports, including Dr. Mustapha Mohammed, the Commissioner for Sports in Sokoto State, were present at the airport to receive the body. They escorted Lawal’s remains to his family home
“This evening, our brother, Colleague, & Champion, Abubakar Lawal, was to rest at his ancestral home in Sokoto, Abuja, Nigeria. The send-off was a clear testament to the impact he had on people that he was a people person. The respect shown was overwhelming and truly appreciated,” Vipers SC posted their official X account.
“We will forever miss you, Lawal. Rest in Peace, Man From Sokoto!
”
Lawal, 29, had visited his Tanzanian friend, who was residing in one of the mall’s residential apartments, when the fall occurred. He was rushed to Entebbe Referral Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival
