An Ado-Ekiti Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a 22-year-old footballer, Adeoye Martins, to one year in prison after finding him guilty of assaulting an opponent with a broken bottle during a football match.
Martins, who plays for White Horse FC, was convicted on Tuesday by Magistrate Olatomiwa Daramola on a two-count charge bordering on assault and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.
The defendant was first arraigned on December 15, 2025, when he pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was subsequently granted bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety in like amount pending the conclusion of the trial.
In her judgment, Magistrate Daramola sentenced Martins to one year imprisonment for the assault charge and one month imprisonment for breach of the peace.
However, the court gave him the option of paying a fine of N5,000 on the first count and N2,000 on the second.
During the trial, the prosecutor, Inspector Ayodeji Aina, told the court that the incident occurred on December 8, 2025, at about 4:00 p.m. at the Ben Folarin Football Pitch in the Omisanjana area of Ado-Ekiti.
He explained that an argument broke out during a match between White Horse FC and Jaydyn FC, during which Martins allegedly attacked his opponent, Saheed Abdulazeez, stabbing him on the right cheek with a jagged bottle.
The prosecution also accused the footballer of behaving in a manner capable of causing a breach of public peace.
To support the case, the prosecutor called two witnesses and tendered the defendant’s statement as evidence.
The offences were said to be contrary to Sections 186 and 181(d) of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.