Prince Harry on a three-day visit to Nigeria to promote his Invictus Games, played a seated volleyball match with army veterans, most wounded in battle against the country’s Islamist insurgency on Saturday.
Arriving in the capital Abuja with his wife Meghan on Friday, Prince Harry’s visit included a trip to a school for an event focusing on mental health awareness. Additionally, the prince met with wounded Nigerian soldiers in the northwest region of the country.
At an officer’s mess complex in Abuja, Prince Harry’s team, adorned in yellow, participated in an exhibition match against a team led by Nigeria’s chief of defence staff.
Despite chants of “Team Harry, Team Harry” when they scored, Prince Harry’s team lost the match 25-21 to Team CDS, led by the country’s top commander.
Among Prince Harry’s team members was former Nigerian soldier Peacemaker Azuegbulam, who lost his leg in combat in the northeast and became the first African to win gold at the Invictus Games in Germany last year.
Prince Harry’s visit to Nigeria follows his attendance at the 10th-anniversary celebrations of the Invictus Games in London earlier in the week.
While his trips to the UK often spark speculation about a reconciliation with his family, Prince Harry did not meet with his father, King Charles, during this visit.
Founded in 2014 by Prince Harry, the Invictus Games promote rehabilitation through sports, and Nigeria’s military command invited him to visit. Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa praised the experience of Nigerian troops at the Invictus Games.
During his visit, Prince Harry traveled without his wife to Kaduna in Nigeria’s northwest to visit a military hospital and interact with troops wounded in combat.
The royal couple is scheduled to travel to Lagos, the country’s economic capital, on Sunday to participate in a basketball event and a fundraiser.
Nigeria’s military forces are currently engaged in battles against armed groups on multiple fronts, including a jihadist insurgency in the northeast and activities of criminal gangs in northwestern and central states.
