•Nigeria’s forward Victor Osimhen (C) and teammates celebrate the victory
A 43-year-old man, Mikail Osundiji has reportedly died while watching the AFCON semi-final football match between Nigeria and the Republic of South Africa.
Osundiji is the latest casualty of those who died while watching the AFCON semis after the news emerged yesterday of the death of an APC chieftain and former Executive Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Cairo Ojougboon, Deputy Bursar Kwara State University, Ayuba Abdullahia, a Youth Corper from Kaduna serving in Adamawa identified simply as Samuel, and an Anambra-born billionaire Chief Osondu Nwoye.
That brings to five the reported cases of casualties of the match.
It was gathered that Osundiji went into shock and died on Wednesday evening in Abeokuta, Ogun State while watching the match at a public football viewing centre in the Olomoore area of the state capital, reports Channels TV.
The father of two reportedly died when the central referee cancelled Nigeria’s second goal against South Africa, by Victor Osimhen.
Relatives said the deceased did not show any sign of sickness before his death.
An elder sister to the deceased, Mrs Adetunji Nofisat, explained that Osundiji suddenly breathed out heavily after the cancellation of Nigeria’s second goal, lowered his head and consequently fell to the ground at the football viewing centre.
“That was when other people at the football viewing centre rushed to him and took him to one of the private hospitals in Olomoore before the doctor on duty pronounced him dead”, the deceased’s sister said.
Nofisat however, disclosed that the remains of the deceased had been buried yesterday afternoon according to the Islamic rites.
“We cannot take his corpse to his hometown, Okuku in Osun State because he still has a father, mother and two children who are 12 and seven years of age”, she said.
Nofisat appealed to the state governor, Dapo Abiodun to come to the assistance of the family, particularly through scholarships to enable the children left behind to complete their education, up to the university level.
