AIU age cheat query: AFN sets up investigating committee 

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has set up a Special Investigative Committee (SIC) after the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) flagged 17 Nigerian athletes for alleged age falsification.

Age falsification has become a development that has cast a shadow over the country’s athletics structure.

Abubakar Ladan, AFN Vice President, Gurmi has been appointed chairman of the committee, which is expected to conduct a thorough probe into the discrepancies identified across several official athlete records.

Also named on the panel are Barrister Musa Amadu, Olympian Olumide Oyedeji, Barrister Edokoayi, and Mbora Ikana, bringing legal, administrative, and technical expertise to the investigation.

The AIU had reportedly queried the AFN over glaring variations in the dates of birth of athletes who have competed for Nigeria at youth, junior, and senior levels.

In a recent letter addressed to AFN President Tonobok Okowa and General Secretary Israel Inwang, the AIU highlighted athletes with as many as three or four conflicting age entries across registration documents, competition forms, and online profiles.

Among the most notable cases is Comfort Anietie James, a serving customs officer who has been listed at different times as born in 1998 and 2000, despite competing in age-group events for which she may have exceeded eligibility.

There is also the case of Chioma Cynthia Nweke, winner of the 2025 MTN CHAMPS Athletics Classics 100m in Benin City, whose reported age varies between her AFN registration and her World Athletics profile.

Similarly, U.S.-based quarter-miler Jennifer Chioma Nwachukwu—also known as Chioma Elochukwu—has birth records showing 2006, 2008, and even 2010, despite her rapid rise on the NCAA circuit where she posted a 51.26s personal best this year.

Others listed by the AIU include Islamiat Akinsanya, Esther Afigbo, and several emerging athletes whose documented ages appear inconsistent across competitions.

“These discrepancies are not mere clerical errors; they suggest deliberate manipulation of records to secure unfair advantage in age-category events,” the AIU warned.

The National Sports Commission has also issued a directive to the AFN, demanding a full-scale investigation to protect Nigeria’s reputation on the global stage.

The AIU has given the AFN until January 16, 2026, to submit verifiable and contemporaneous documents for all 17 athletes.

Failure to meet the deadline could attract severe sanctions and jeopardise Nigeria’s participation in upcoming international championships.