One of Nigeria’s historic football clubs, Ranchers Bees Football Club of Kaduna, are gearing up for a successful comeback to the Nigerian football scene with a campaign in the Nigeria National League (NNL), the country’s second tier, Completesports.com reports.
The club have lined up a training tour across the FCT and several states ahead of the 2025/2026 season.
Ranchers Bees’ Glorious Past
In the 1980s and 1990s, Ranchers Bees dominated Nigerian football and produced some of the finest players who later starred for the Super Eagles.
Legends such as Daniel Amokachi, Ayo Ogunlana, Salisu Yusuf, Dahiru Sadi, Abubakar Balarabe, Ali Nayara, Adamu ‘Jeje’, Tajudeen Oyekanmi, and Tunde “D Black” Abdulrahman once wore the famous yellow jersey.
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The Kaduna-based side also represented Nigeria in the WAFU Cup, and this season they are determined to fight their way back into the top flight by earning promotion from the NNL to the NPFL.
Ranchers Bees Pre-Season Friendlies In Abuja
As part of preparations, Ranchers Bees will play two high-profile pre-season matches in Abuja on October 4 and 5 against EFCC FC and City FC of Abuja respectively.
Ranchers Bees will compete in Conference D of the 2025/2026 NNL season alongside Adamawa United, Bichi First, Gombe United, Jigawa Golden Stars, Kebbi United, Sporting Supreme and Yobe Desert Stars. The Pride of Kaduna will begin their campaign with a tough opening home match against Gombe United.
Ranchers Bees Backed By Sadiq Umar And Bello El-Rufai
Super Eagles striker Sadiq Umar and lawmaker Bello El-Rufai have made the club’s revival possible under their new ownership and have committed significant resources to ensure a smooth transition into the new season.
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With Umar’s decade-long experience across European leagues in Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands, Serbia and Spain, Ranchers Bees are expected to operate with top-level professionalism on and off the pitch.
Kaduna Fans Set For Exciting Season
Football enthusiasts in Kaduna State and beyond can look forward to an exciting campaign because Ranchers Bees are targeting immediate promotion to the NPFL after just one season back in the NNL.
By Richard Jideaka, Abuja
