Boko Haram forces postponement of Abuja tennis tournament

The recent spate of bomb attacks in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has compelled the ex­ecutive of the Aso Table Tennis Club (ATTC) to postpone its annual table tennis competition indefinitely until security situa­tion improves in Abuja.

The chairman of the club, Dr Olusegun Zaccheaus Ajuwon (OON), who announced the in­definite postponement at a press briefing at the weekend, lamented that the 11th edition of the com­petition scheduled for this week (May 5-11) at the Indoor Hall of the Abuja National Stadium had been put on hold until there was an assurance of the safety of the lives of the participants.
“We regret to announce the postponement of the 11th edition of the annual Aso Table Tennis Championships till a future date that will be duly advertised by the NTTF. Let our partners, sponsors and friends note that this is only a postponement and not cancella­tion,” he noted.
Asked what necessitated the decision, the ATTC boss said: “Recall that the 10th edition held last year at the Patience Jona­than Youth Development Cen­tre, Nyanya, Abuja, is a shouting distance from the sites of the two recent bomb attacks.
“Therefore, since the club or­ganising the competition does not enjoy the luxury of security outfits in sufficient number and capacity to be able to guarantee a hitch-free championship and without any security breach at a time such as this, it is therefore a matter of being cautious, realis­tic and sensitive that warrants we review the competition as previ­ously planned,” he quipped.
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