The Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) on Thursday condemned the death of Beauty McLeod, the mother of 14-year-old rising tennis star, Angel McLeod.

Beauty McLeod was allegedly killed by a mobile police personal after an altercation on Oct. 26 at the Emperors Place, a guest house on Victoria Island, Lagos.

The NTF's president, Sani Ndanusa, said the demise of the deceased was a big loss to the federation.

He said McLeod's death was the latest in the series of deaths recorded in the federation in recent times.

This is in addition to the death of another player, Gladys O'Malley, who died after child birth, he said, noting that a referee, Cosmos Ntemuse, also died recently.

"Indeed, this is a very dark period for Nigerian tennis," he said.

"McLeod is one of the players that have been helping in the development of the game at the grassroots. She (Angel) is one of our brightest juniors," he added.

"We are deeply shocked by her death; McLeod has been a clear example of NTF's crusade for parents' support for their children in tennis," the Nigerian official said.

According to him, this really helped Angel to become one of the most promising junior players in Africa.

The Lagos State Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni, condemned the killing, adding that the policeman would soon be appearing in court on a charge of murder.

Source: XINHUA