In the aftermath of the game, some irate fans of Nigeria stormed the pitch and destroyed whatever they could lay their hands on.
The chaos led to the two teams being whisked away to safety, while the Ghanaian fans in the stadium also had to run for their lives.
It has now emerged that a CAF official, identified as Dr. Joseph Kabungo, died following the stampede at the stadium.
The Zambian medial practitioner was at the Mashood Abiola National Stadium as CAF’s Doping Officer for the game between the two West African rivals.
According to African journalist, Usher Komugisha, Dr. Kabungo lost consciousness after being beaten by irate Nigerian fans.
According to her, there were efforts to resuscitate him but they proved futile as he was later pronounced dead.
“Really sad that Zambian doctor Joseph Kabungo who was working as the CAF/FIFA Medical Officer at the Nigeria v Ghana game in Abuja yesterday was beaten by fans until he lost his consciousness. There were efforts to save his life but he didn’t make it. May his soul rest in peace,” she tweeted.
Meanwhile, Ghanaian journalist Collins Atta Poku also confirmed the assault on the CAF official which led to his death.
“They beat him, he fell and they throded on him. He lost consciousness was rushed to an ambulance closer to the Ghana dressing for CPR,” he wrote on Twitter.
“The entire Ghanaian contingent watched on as resuscitation attempts were made with oxygen mask. He was taken to hospital later and now this. Sad.”
Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with Ghana sees them miss out on World Cup qualification for the first time since 2006. The Black Stars, though, have now qualified for their fourth World Cup after missing out on the last edition.
