A referee was on Tuesday struck dead by lightning, during a friendly football game in Madalla, Niger State.

The late referee, an associate of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and commonly known as Mustafa Coach 02 among football enthusiasts, tragically died during a game played on the field of the school in the community.

An eyewitness named Muhammed Musa claimed that the incident took place around 5:20 pm during a half-time break of a football game between young people from Madalla and Suleja.

Narrating the incident, Musa said all of the football players and their supporters sought shelter inside the classrooms of the school because it was raining. The referee and his assistants hurried back onto the pitch and asked that the players follow them to seek shelter.

When thunder struck, the referee and his assistant, were the only ones in the middle of the pitch. Two of them were sent to a hospital, where the referee was pronounced dead but his assistant was brought back to life.

Ibrahim’s family member claimed that the deceased’s body was laid to rest in Suleja town, where he resided, on Wednesday morning.