El-Amin, Profile, Phoenix pick top laurels at Minna Polo Festival

August 1, 2025 by The Nation

The prestigious Minna annual polo tournament which galloped off in grand style, climaxed with fanfare last weekend with defending champions, EL-Amin and Profile team sweeping all the major titles at stake, keeping their treasured IBB Cup title.

The Georgian Cup kings, El-Amin and Profile were the brightest stars and the moon of the prestigious Minna polo festival as they harvested  most of the prizes. Apart from retaining  the Mohammad Babangida-led El-Amin  retained the event’s biggest prize, the IBB Cup, the glittering General Abdulsalami Cup and carted  home personal awards in an action-packed  week that was highlighted by the inaugural Dawule Memorial Baba Cup.

Profile Group that threw in three teams into the showdown , proved their pre-tournament rating by carting home the event’s second title, the glittering Governor Cup and the coveted  Gen. Hassan Katsina Cup in a classy display of horsemanship. 

Hailed by everyone from royalties, business gurus, diplomats to polo enthusiasts as the biggest sporting festival in Niger State, Khalid Babangida showed great improvement leading his Phoenix team to retain the Aisha Babangida Cup for the second year running.

As in an  all high-stake polo competitions in the country, the fight was always going to be between the home teams and their visiting counterparts but  it was the visitors  that were left to lick their wounds while Nigerian Army polo Warriors could only earn the runner-up winner of the Emir of Minna Cup.

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Newcomers, Minna SD Stable,  that drew its strength from Lagos and Kano-based players swept past every  other teams to write their names in gold, completing Minna dominance by  clinching their first ever Emir of Minna Cup.

It was an exciting week of top-class polo played out at its traditional venue, the IBB Sports Complex under the friendliest atmosphere you can find anywhere in the land. And at the end of the historic event, the biggest winner was polo-the noble king of sports that has  boosted rich history in Nigeria spanning over a century.

Though the event pitted combatants with evenly spread team handicaps ranging from +7 and above, it was not too surprising that at the close of the competition that threw up plenty of anxious moments, the prizes were shared with host Minna teams  smiling home with the juiciest pies.

“Coming down and playing in front of our teeming Minna fans has always been special and we’re happy to come away with a win,” said Minna Polo First Vice President and EL-Amin Patron, Mohammad Babangida. “We were always looking to get an advantage in the opening game, so this win is awesome for us; we’re happy with the result.”

 “I feel great to realize how much joy one’s effort has positively impacted the lives of the teeming polo enthusiasts across the country and Minna in particular. Their support and belief in EL-Amin have always been the driving force and I want to dedicate these victories to my teeming fans,” Babangida declared.

 Special Guest of Honour and President  of Minna Polo Club, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, who took charge in the semifinal day of the grand finale, hailed the management of the tournament and congratulated all the winners and the Runners-up teams for their sportsmanship and discipline throughout the grand fiesta.

Governor  Bago who  later described Polo as a game full of entertainment and excitement, especially for younger generations, noted that all the final matches were fiercely competitive, underscoring the high standard of the annual  Minna Polo Tournament.