Nigeria’s ex-coach Stephen Keshi: sudden death

Jethro Ibileke/Benin

Close family members of the late Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, have narrated how the late football coach died in Benin on Tuesday night.

Speaking with journalists at the premises of Faith Mediplex where he was confirmed death, Keshi’s brother in-law, Richard Aburime, described his death as sudden and shocking.

“He had complained of pains in his leg for some days and they kept massaging it for him. When he complained of it yesterday, they massaged it for him again.

“About one and half hours after the massaging, he was in serious distress and was gasping for breadth. That was how we rushed him to the hospital (Faith Mediplex), a distance of about 20 minutes. But by the time they arrived at the hospital, the doctor certified him dead on arrival. That was sometime between 11:30 and 11:45 pm,” Aburime said.

Ricky Aburime

“It was the nurse that first came out. She checked for pulse‎ and said there was no pulse in him. Doctors later came and did  all the stuffs they do, but nothing came out of it,” he said.

When asked what could have been the likely cause of Keshi’s death,‎ Aburime said no one should speculate the cause of his death, until an autopsy is conducted by qualified doctors and the report would be made public at a press conference befitting of Keshi’s status.

Also at the hospital was Ebuka Ofuoni, a cousin of the late coach said to have lived with him from his childhood, who could barely utter a word as a result of grief.

According to family sources, Keshi whose  cause of death remains unknown, was billed to travel today to the United States of America where he was based, to visit his children.

In his reaction, the Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Kassim Afeghua, described Keshi’s death as shocking.

Afegbua who sppoke to journalists at the hospital, described Keshi’s death as a great loss to the nation.

“He should be given a national burial. He spent 34 years of his life playing football for the country. He certainly deserves a national hero’s burial,” Afegbua said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Edo State Football Association, Frank Ilaboya, has described the death of Nigeria’s most successful football coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, as ‎shocking and devastating to the country.

By the time of filing this report, Keshi’s corpse was being prepared to be moved from Faith Mediplex, in GRA, to Stella Obasanjo Children Hospital mortuary, in Sapele road.