Gunmen on Thursday attacked players and officials of the Sunshine Stars football club of Akure along the Benin-Ore highway.
A ball boy for the team whose identity is yet to be disclosed was said to have been shot during the attack, while the Manager, Seun Betiku, and some other officials sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The football team was attacked after the club’s official bus was waylaid by the gunmen while on their way to Benin City, Edo State capital, along the busy highway.
The players were on their way to Benin City to honour this weekend’s match day 13 of the Nigeria Professional Football League match against Bendel Insurance of Benin.
Following the incident, the injured members of the team were rescued by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), after which they were taken to an undisclosed hospital.
Confirming the incident, the media officer of the club, Michael Akintunde, who described the attack as horrible, said: “It saddens our heart to inform Nigerians, especially football lovers, that our team was attacked a few minutes ago along the Ore-Benin Motorway to honour an Elite League tie against Insurance of Benin, scheduled for this weekend.
“Our ball boy was shot in the horrible attack. Our team manager and other club officials, including players, are seriously injured.
“It took the intervention of officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps that helped rescue the injured officials and the shot individual to a nearby hospital. We hope you join us in prayer.”
