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Nigerian Football

FLASHBACK: ANOTHER PLAYER DIES ON OKWARAJI’S MEMORIAL

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA

On this date, 12 August 2006, the 17thanniversary of the tragic death of Samuel Okwaraji at the National Stadium, Lagos, a similar tragedy struck in a local derby in Jos.

The match involved the Plateau United and Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) FC at the Nasarawa Stadium, Keffi. 

Boniface Danjuma, a left sided defender of Plateau United collapsed and died during the Nigeria Professional Football League match.

The 20-year old player was confirmed dead 13 minutes into the second half of the match. 

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The dead player had been a Flying Eagles’ invitee before the sad incident. Information then had it that Danjuma had a bout of malaria and had complained of being unwell but was persuaded to play the ill-fated match. 

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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