By Samuel Akpan in Abeokuta
A cheating scandal has rocked the ongoing National Sports Festival, in Abeokuta as Ogun, Lagos, and Oyo states withdrew their scrabble teams from the Masters Category on Saturday.
They accused two top players, Ben Quickpen of Bayelsa State and George Ezinore of Edo, of collusion.
The walkout happened after Round 16, with the protesting teams pointing to suspicious plays between Quickpen and Ezinore.
A Persecondnews correspondent at the games reported that Quickpen’s moves in their match raised eyebrows, especially when he played “LOOF” to form “LOD” and “OWE” despite being in a strong position.
Ezinore then capitalized on these questionable moves, winning the game with 421 points.
Many observers believe the two players worked together to gain an unfair advantage over their competitors.
Despite the allegations, Nigeria Scrabble Federation President Olobatoke Aka and Technical Director Curtis John decided to continue with the games after a brief discussion with the parties involved, citing lack of evidence.
However, this decision was met with strong opposition from officials of Ogun, Lagos, and Oyo, who felt that the NSF should have taken a firmer action.
The three states eventually withdrew their players from the Masters Category, although they will continue to participate in other categories.
In the end, Quickpen emerged victorious, winning gold for Bayelsa while Ezinore took silver for Edo. Rex Ogbakpa earned the bronze medal.
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