Back-to-Back Champions: Nigeria beat Rwanda to retain west africa trophy

Nigeria successfully defended their West Africa Trophy title with a commanding 40-run victory over Rwanda in Sunday’s final at the NCF Pitch in Abuja, Sport360NG reports.

The hosts repeated their success from the inaugural edition in Lagos in 2023, where they also overcame Rwanda to claim the title, underlining their growing dominance in the regional competition.

Coached by former Kenya international Steve Tikolo, Nigeria asserted their authority throughout the tournament, winning nine of their 10 matches. Their only setback came during the group stage, when Rwanda handed them a 23-run defeat.

Batting first after winning the toss in the final, Nigeria produced a disciplined team performance to post a competitive total. Sylvester Okpe anchored the innings with an unbeaten 35 off 22 deliveries, while captain Sulaimon Runsewe added a fluent 34 from 26 balls. Selim Salau (25) and Danladi Isaac (14) provided valuable middle-order support, with Vincent Adewoye contributing 21, as Nigeria reached 153 for five in their allotted 20 overs. Extras accounted for 13 runs.

Rwanda made a steady start to their chase, with Didier Ndikubwimana scoring 33 off 38 balls and Khan Hamza adding 27. However, the visitors struggled to sustain momentum as Nigeria’s bowlers and fielders tightened their grip on the contest.

Ndubudem David, Isaac Okpe and Joshua Asia each claimed two wickets, repeatedly disrupting Rwanda’s progress and preventing any meaningful partnerships from developing. Despite late resistance, Rwanda were restricted to 117 for nine, finishing 40 runs short of the target as Nigeria sealed back-to-back titles.