Izuchukwu OkosiThe Nigeria Football Federation has decried the recent spate of robbery attacks on players and officials of football clubs travelling by road in the country to honour matches in the domestic Leagues, while appealing to security agents to devise further means of protecting road users in the land.
NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi on Friday said the Federation is disturbed by the trend, which has seen players and officials of Nigeria National League club, FC One Rocket and NPFL side Sunshine Stars attacked with persons including a ball boy injured and valuables lost over the past few days.
“The NFF is seriously disturbed and disillusioned by this unwarranted trend. First, it was FC One Rocket of Abat, Akwa Ibom State that was attacked.
“Their players and officials lost a variety of valuables in the attack in Ihiala, Anambra State while on their way from an NNL match against Ikorodu City in Lagos.
Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has also sympathised with the Management of Sunshine Stars FC whose players and Officials were attacked on Thursday.
The attack reportedly took place along the Ore-Benin express road with some players and Officials said to have been shot by a yet to be identified assailants.
Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye, the NPFL Chairman, who has personally reached out to the club Chairman described the attack on the team as sad and unfortunate.
He commended Officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) that were said to have intervened to convey victims to a hospital and wishes speedy recovery to all who were injured.
The Akure club are scheduled to play against Bendel Insurance in one of the NPFL MatchDay 13 fixtures on Saturday at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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