Nigeria’s Abdulmumin Jimoh produced a remarkable comeback to emerge as champion at the 16th African Scrabble Championship, which ended in Monrovia, Liberia, on Sunday, as Nigeria also claimed the Best Country award ahead of Kenya and hosts Liberia.

Jimoh topped the 110-player field with 23 wins and a cumulative spread of +1,760 points, finishing ahead of compatriot George Ezinore, who recorded the same number of victories but settled for second place with a spread of +1,005.

Another Nigerian, Delta State born belletrist, Emmanuel Umujose, completed the overall podium in third position.

Jimoh, the Gateway Scrabble Club player’s victory followed a challenging campaign in which he steadily climbed the standings before delivering a decisive performance on the final day.

The Kogi State-born wordsmith ended the opening day in 12th position with five wins and one defeat, alongside a spread of +257 points.

He raised his game on the second day, doubling his victories to 10 and improving his cumulative spread to +780 to move into third place.

However, the competition remained intense on day three, as Jimoh slipped to sixth position despite recording six wins and increasing his spread to +1,040.

With the title race reaching its climax, Jimoh launched his final assault on the last day, stringing together impressive performances to move into contention for the championship.

His victory over Larry Etuwa, 430–362, in round 31 took him to 23 wins and a spread of +1,823, putting him in a clear and strong position to secure the title before losing his final game to Ezinore.

Nigeria’s reigning national champion, Ezinore also maintained pressure in the closing stages, defeating Kenya’s Gitonga Nderitu 510–339 to strengthen his position in second place.

At that stage, Ezinore had 22 wins and a spread of +942, trailing Jimoh by one victory and 881 spread points.

Despite Ezinore’s final-round victory over Jimoh, the latter’s accumulated points across the tournament proved decisive, earning him the continental crown.

Abudulmumin Jimoh succeeds another Nigerian and clubmate Oluwatimilehin Doko won who the biggest continental diadem two years ago in Kigali while George Ezinore finished second just as he did this year.

We gathered that Doko fell ill during the grueling competition as he managed to win 17 games.

Nigeria’s dominance extended beyond the individual standings, as the country secured the Best Country title, finishing ahead of Kenya and host nation Liberia.

In the women’s category, Ghana’s Betty Kyeremateng emerged Best Female player after recording 20 wins from 32 games to claim the honours.

Nigeria’s Sophia Ekeruche, recognised as the World’s Best Female Junior Player in both 2025 and 2026, finished second in the female standings with 18 wins.

The championship’s conclusion highlighted Nigeria’s strength in African Scrabble, with Jimoh leading an all-Nigerian top three in the overall standings while the country also secured the team accolade in Monrovia.