A friendly football match in Madalla town Niger State, turned into mourning following the sudden death of a referee who was reportedly hit by a thunder strike.

The deceased simply known as Mustafa Coach 02 among football fans and said to be a member of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFA), met his tragic death Tuesday evening during the match played in the community's primary and secondary schools' field.

An eyewitness, Muhammed Musa, said the match in which Suleja and Madalla youths participated, was on half time break around 5:20 pm when the incident happened.

"It was raining and all the footballers along with their fans were taken refuge inside the school's classrooms. The referee along with his assistant (line man) rushed back to the field, demanding the players to join them.

"They were only at the centre of the pitch when the thunder struck. Two of them were rushed to a hospital, where Sulaiman was confirmed dead on arrival while his assistant was revived."

A family member of the deceased, who simply gave his name as Ibrahim, said Ibrahim was buried Wednesday morning in Suleja town where he lived.