Peter Rufai: Family Formally Announces His Transition

The family of late Nigerian football legend, Peter Rufai, has formally announced burial plans for the late footballer who passed away at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 3, 2025, after a brief illness.

He was aged 61.

The family, in a statement, said it remained grateful to God for the life that the late goalkeeper lived, moreso the impact he made.

“With total submission to the will of Almighty God, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the transition to glory of our father and brother, the legendary former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Prince Peter ‘Dodo Mayana’ Rufai,” the family said.

“We thank everyone for your love and expression of sympathy. A formal announcement of the burial arrangements will be made in due course,” the statement concluded.

The Eagle reports that Peter Rufai was born in Lagos, on 24 August 1963.

He played with a number of football teams both locally and internationally, including the Stationery Stores F.C of Lagos and Femo Scorpions of Warri before moving to Benin Republic in 1986 where he plied his trade with AS Dragons FC de l’Ouémé.

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The now late Peter Rufai was among the Nigerian professional football league to Europe and had professional experience with such teams as as K.S.C. Lokeren  and K.S.K. Beveren of Belgium.

He also played in Portugal for S.C. Farense and Deportiv in Spain, while with the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles, he won 65 caps.

He featured at the FIFA World Cups in 1994 and 1998 and was in the Super Eagles that won the 1994 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia.