Wale JAGUN
It was a black Sunday to many sports lovers, especially the lovers of the round leather game, when the news about the death of Obinna Okwaraji Stanley, popularly known and called ‘Abora’, was broken just before the commencement of the replayed semi final match of the ongoing 10th edition of the Bolowotan Cup on Sunday, March 18, 2018.
While some players, football administrators, coaches and fans were seen converging in groups to discuss the sad incident, others were seen making frantic efforts to confirm the news from multiple sources.
As at that Sunday, nobody could actually confirm what happened except that late Obinna was reported to have succumbed to the cold hands of death after he was allegedly stabbed by his wife during a fight.
Another source stated that he was stabbed to death by his aggrieved wife due to lingering crisis between the two.
THE IMPACT gathered that though, the couple has history of violent disagreement, nobody, according to neighbours, ever thought it could degenerated into stabbing.
However, it was not until a few days after the death of the flair and maverick midfielder who mesmerised soccer lovers during his playing days at Oriwu College, Ikorodu, and for many clubs he played for, that details of what actually lef to his death started making the rounds.
Our reporter gathered that Abora and his wife actually had a disagreement on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, when he returned home late at his residence located at Akintola Street, Cele Alhaji, Aga in Ikorodu and his embattled wife allegedly accosted him and violently demanded to know where he was coming from.
According a coach who is a friend of the deceased, the situation degenerated when the wife got hold of a knife and stabbed the late player in his tummy.
He was said to have gone to a Chemist to treat the wound the next day and also undergoing self medication/treatment till he eventually gave up the ghost last Sunday.
Late Stanley Obinna, who also played for NEPA FC, was also a former staff of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in Ikorodu and was a very popular personality.
Candle light for the father of four is slated for Friday, March 23, 2018.
