Special Eagles light up Ogun as West Africa Para Games deliver big impact

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...Liberia announced their arrival with a blistering win over Benin
By Maxwell Kumoye and Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye 
 

The inaugural West Africa Para Games is barely underway, but stakeholders say its impact is already rippling through Ogun State. And on the pitch, Nigeria’s Special Eagles are making sure the headlines stay loud.

National Sports Commission Director General, Honourable Bukola Olopade, set the tone at the opening ceremony in Abeokuta, declaring that para sports now stand “at the heart” of Nigeria’s future sports development. 

He also revealed that a revamped Para National Sports Festival will debut in Abuja in March 2026, designed to give para athletes a bigger, stronger platform to shine.

But if anyone needed proof that Nigeria’s para programme is surging, the Special Eagles delivered it in ruthless style.

After humiliating Benin Republic 11–0 in their opening amputee football match, the Eagles returned on Sunday with a gritty 1–0 win over Cameroon, punching their ticket to the final stage of the event at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta.

The early fireworks came in the Benin demolition, where the Nigerians ran riot. Ahmed Usman led the carnage with four goals, Michael Joel added a hat-trick, Ahize Daniel struck three, and Ibrahim Ndako joined the party with one more as Nigeria dominated the 50-minute contest from whistle to whistle.

The floodgates could have opened even earlier. Usman and Joel combined for a slick exchange that crashed off the woodwork, before a poor Benin goal kick handed Usman a simple opener.

Sunday’s clash against Cameroon was a different beast—tight, physical, and hard-fought but the Nigerians kept their nerve, edging out the Indomitable Lions to underline their credentials as tournament favourites.

Elsewhere, Benin Republic held Cameroon to a goalless draw, while Liberia announced themselves with a blistering 7–0 win over Benin.

With 11 para sports events unfolding across Ogun State and Nigeria’s athletes blazing a trail, the inaugural West Africa Para Games is already delivering exactly what organisers promised, energy, excellence, and a new era for para sports in the region.
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