Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) club Heartland has officially declared central defender Peter Afolayan as absent without official leave (AWOL). The club made the announcement in a statement released by its management, confirming that the 24-year-old player has been unreachable and his whereabouts remain unknown.
Heartland’s Chief Coach, Charles Uzor, expressed concern over Afolayan’s disappearance, noting that the defender was last seen on December 28, 2024, at the end of the first half of the season.
The statement further clarified that Afolayan remains a registered member of the team with an active contract until the 2025-26 season. The club has warned other football clubs, both domestic and international, not to engage in any football-related transactions with the player or his representatives, as this could lead to double registration and the associated penalties.
“Heartland are using this medium to inform football clubs both outside and within Nigeria that our central defender, Peter Afolayan, who was last seen at the end of the first stanza on December 28, 2024, has been missing,” the statement read. “Afolayan is a bona fide player of Heartland, with a running contract until the 2025-26 season.”
The club reiterated that Afolayan remains under contract and that any dealings involving the player would have serious legal consequences.
