Benue Queens and Plateau Vipers recorded convincing victories on Day Four of the 2026 North-Central Division One Handball League as competition intensified at the Indoor Sports Hall, Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

Benue Queens opened the day with a commanding 26-17 victory over Kogi State’s Inikpi Babes in a keenly contested encounter between the two neighbouring states.

The Benue side established an early advantage, taking an 11-8 lead into the half-time break before increasing the pressure after the restart.

Their improved attacking efficiency in the second half enabled the Queens to pull away from Inikpi Babes and secure a nine-goal victory.

The day’s second encounter produced a much tighter contest as Nasarawa Ambassadors and Suleja Shooters battled to a 31-31 draw.

Suleja Shooters appeared to have the initiative at half-time, taking a 16-13 lead into the break after an evenly contested opening period.

Nasarawa Ambassadors, however, fought back strongly after the interval, ensuring the encounter remained finely balanced until the final whistle.

Plateau Vipers subsequently produced the biggest victory of the day, overwhelming Confluence Stars of Lokoja 40-23.

The Jos-based side came out strongly and combined pace, physical strength and attacking efficiency to establish a commanding 21-11 lead by half-time.

Plateau Vipers maintained their intensity after the restart and eventually completed a 17-goal victory over their Kogi opponents.

In the final game of the day, Nuella Handball Academy secured a 34-31 victory over Unity Boys of Abuja in another entertaining encounter.

Nuella led 18-15 at the interval and successfully resisted Unity Boys’ efforts to turn the game around in the second half.

President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria, Jibril Ojih Saidu, was present at the venue and watched some of the matches as the league continued to provide a platform for emerging talents in the North-Central region.

Saidu expressed satisfaction with the growing interest in handball among young players in the zone and commended the teams and athletes for their performances.

The Day Four results further underlined the competitive nature of the 2026 North-Central Division One League, with the participating teams continuing their push for honours as the championship progresses.

With more fixtures still to come, attention will now shift to the next round of matches as the teams seek to build momentum and strengthen their positions in the competition.