OBITUARY
Rangers’ and Nigeria’s former international, Totty adds to Nigeria football’s July obituaries
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Former Enugu Rangers’ player, Totty Okoro Totty who died in the US on Thursday has increased the number of Nigeria football July obituary. Totty also played for the defunct BBC Lions of Gboko and Sharks of Port Harcourt.
His death at Atlanta-Georgia USA after a long battle with colon cancer was on the anniversary of those of another former Rangers player, Mattias Obianika; former sports minister, Anthony Ikazoboh and sports caster, Akinloye Oyebanji who all died on a 27 July date.
Sadly, the month of July has become that of memorials for football icons in Nigeria. This may sound strange, but it is true. Find below, the sad episodes.
Jelisavicic Tihomer-Tiko – 1 July
Fondly called ‘Father Tiko’, the younger folks may not remember the then Yugoslavian man (his country is now Serbia) who raised to stardom an army of relatively unknown players who took the 10th edition of Africa Cup of Nations by storm, becoming the second runners-up in Ethiopia in March 1976.
He repeated the feat at Ghana 1978 when Nigeria ranked third in Africa’s premier football competition.
He was at the brink of qualifying Nigeria for Argentina 1978 World Cup before the team failed the last hurdle at home. No thanks to an own goal.
Under him, the Nigeria national team played 45 matches, winning 24, and drawing 12 and lost nine. He died on July 1, 1986, in Cancum, Mexico.
That was two days after the World Cup final match in that country. He was heading to Cancum to begin a new life as a coach to the local team when an automobile accident claimed his life.
Samuel Ojebode – 4 July
July 4 is the death anniversary of one of ‘Father Tiko’s players, Samuel Ojebode who passed on 11 years ago. Ojebode, a left fullback was also a captain of the then IICC Shooting Stars that he later coached and managed as an administrator.
With his death in 2012, the entire back four of the 1976 history-making IICC Shooting Stars have all passed on – Best Ogedegbe, Joe Appiah, Ojebode and Muda Lawal.
Added to that list are Kunle Awesu and Folorunsho Gambari aka ‘Gambus’ who died on April 15, 1981.
Dan Anyiam – 6 July
One of the pioneer members of the Nigerian national football team, Dan Anyiam was a member of the famed UK Tourists of 1949. He was the vice captain of the squad. Anyiam who was the first indigenous coach to sign a coaching contract with the Nigeria Football Association was found dead in his car on 6 July 1977.
Muda Lawal – 6 July
Next comes that of Muda Lawal, like Ojebode and Awesu, he was in the Father Tiko’s Nigerian team and also a member of the victorious IICC side on the continent.
He died on July 6, 1991, the 14th anniversary of the mysterious death of one of Nigerian national team pioneers, Dan Anyiam who was also the first indigenous national team coach.
Bashorun MKO Abiola – 7 July
Who will forget the Bashorun MKO Abiola who pumped much money to football and other sports? He died on July 7, 1998.
He was undoubtedly the best football philanthropist in the continent. Another football icon that shared the date with him is Father Dennis Slattery who died in his native country, Ireland on July 7, 2003.
Father Dennis Slattery – 7 July
Slattery who lived the greater part of his life in Nigeria was the last of the expatriates who shaped the then NFA that is today’s NFF.
He was the NFA chairman from 1956 to 1959 and the most frequent referee of the Challenge Cup final which has changed to Federation Cup.
Slattery was the referee of the final matches of 1952, 1953, 1960 and 1964 apart from being a linesman (assistant referee) in 1951, 1956 and 1958.
He founded the St. Finbarr’s College, Akoka – the record 10 time winners of the former Principals Cup in Lagos.
Israel Adebajo – 25 July
Another prominent soccer figure of an earlier era was Israel Adebajo, the founder of the famous Stationery Stores, which until its going into coma late in the 1990s, was perhaps Nigeria’s most fanatically supported club side.
Adebajo died on 25 July 1969, few weeks before Stores’ final match in the Challenge Cup. He formed the club in 1958 after buying over Oluwole Philips team.
The famed Super Stores drew players and fans across the country and sometimes too, from Ghana.
The former treasurer of the then NFA nurtured the Super Stores to win the Challenge Cup twice in a row and was at the brink of a hat-trick in 1969 before his death dealt a devastating blow on the club.
Mathias Obianika – 27 July
Former national team player, Mathias Obianika, died also in 27 July 1992.
The Enugu Rangers’ striker was an instant hit in the national team when he made his debut in a 4-0 triumph over Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) in a 1971 friendly game.
Obianika scored two of the four goals. After years in Enugu Rangers, he later became the club’s chief coach.
Anthony Ikazoboh – 27 July
Seven years after the death of Obianika, a two-time NFA chairman and former Super Stores player, Air Commodore Anthony Ikazoboh, was killed by armed robbers on July 27, 1999.
Ikazoboh was the NFA chairman from 1984 to 1987 and again in 1989 before he was named the sports minister.
Under him as NFA chairman, Nigeria won its first global event, the World Under-17 Tournament in 1985 and the Under-20 team placed third at the World Under 20 Championship in the then Soviet Union.
It was at the Soviet Union event that Ikazoboh dropped hints of Nigeria’s interest in hosting the World Youth Championship, a dream that only materialised 12 years later.
As sports minister in 1990, Ikazoboh’s tenure brought the advent of professional football to Nigeria.
Akinloye Oyebanji – 27 July
On the anniversaries of the death of former sports minister, Anthony Ikazoboh and national as well as Rangers’ International striker, Mathias Obianika, another sports icon, Akinloye Oyebanji took a final breath.
Oyebanji, a veteran sports journalist retired as a director at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). He died at the National Hospital, Abuja, after a protracted battle with heart failure.
Bukoye Oyebanji and Dr. Steve Olarinoye, a family member and friend of the deceased, disclosed that Oyebanji had been ill and that the family had spent millions of naira without any improvement.
They said some time earlier, he had the misfortune of losing his kidneys, and they were replaced successfully through a transplant in India.
Oyebanji served the NTA for 35 years. He worked in different capacities, including being a sports broadcaster, rising to the position of general manager (sports).
He retired as managing director of NTA Properties at the authority’s headquarters in Abuja.
Tesilimi Balogun – 31 July
July 30 is the anniversary of the legendary “Thunder” Balogun who died in 1972. He was the first ever-Nigerian professional player when he ventured to England in the 1950s.
The early history of the Challenge Cup is almost an historical account of Thunder Balogun’s soccer career. He later became a coach in the Western Region.
In 1952, Balogun became the first player to score a hat-trick in the Challenge Cup final.
The feat is significant, considering the fact that up till the 2012 FA Cup final, only two other players, Frank Uwalaka in 1958 and Felix Adedeji in 1969 – were the only other hat-trick scorer in Nigeria’s premier national competition.
Sam Garba Okoye – 31 July
Sam Garba Okoye, another national team star of 1960s and early 1970s, died on 31 July 1978 in motor accident.
He was one of the teenagers of the Nigerian Academicals that beat Ghana 1-0 in the annual Dowuona-Hammond Cup in 1966.
It was Nigeria’s first away win against Ghana. Later, Garba played for Plateau XI, Mighty Jets and the Green Eagles.
Although he had no Challenge Cup gold medal to show, he was a regular in the six final matches played by Jos teams from mid 1960s to 1974. He usually adorned his forehead with a rolled up handkerchief.
The execution of Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi has triggered widespread international condemnation, raising fresh concerns over human rights and the treatment of athletes in Iran.
Mohammadi, who had represented his country on the international stage, was executed on Thursday alongside two other Iranian citizens, Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi, following a controversial judicial process linked to anti-government protests earlier this year.
Iranian authorities allege that the three men were responsible for the killing of two police officers during demonstrations in the city of Qom on 8 January. According to official accounts, the incident formed part of a coordinated violent response during a period of heightened social tension.
Allegations of Forced Confessions and Unfair Trial
Human rights organisations have strongly disputed the official narrative, describing the trial as deeply flawed.
Groups including Amnesty International and Iran Human Rights claim Mohammadi was denied adequate legal defence and forced to confess under coercion. They also allege that the court dismissed claims of torture and ignored the athlete’s retraction of his confession.
Critics argue that the case failed to meet basic standards of due process, citing lack of credible evidence, restricted access to independent legal counsel, and limited avenues for appeal.
Athletes ‘Targeted’ in Crackdown
The execution has intensified fears that athletes are increasingly being targeted in Iran’s broader crackdown on dissent.
Iranian activist and athlete Nima Far described Mohammadi’s death as “a blatant political murder,” alleging it forms part of a pattern aimed at intimidating society and silencing influential public figures.
The case has drawn comparisons to the 2020 execution of wrestler Navid Afkari, which also sparked global outrage and highlighted the risks faced by athletes involved in protest movements.
IOC Responds Amid Calls for Action
The International Olympic Committee expressed concern over reports of mistreatment of athletes but emphasised the limits of its authority.
In a statement, the IOC noted that it is “very difficult to comment” on individual cases without verified information and stressed that, as a non-governmental organisation, it cannot influence the laws or political systems of sovereign nations.
The body added that it would continue engaging through “quiet sports diplomacy,” though activists have criticised the approach as insufficient.
Growing International Concern
Mohammadi’s execution reportedly took place just hours after the United States Department of State called for a suspension of the sentence—an appeal that was not heeded.
The incident has reignited debate over the use of capital punishment in Iran, particularly in cases linked to political unrest. Human rights groups warn of a rise in executions following mass arrests during recent protests, with thousands reportedly detained.
Reports also indicate that several athletes across different sports—including football, boxing, athletics and wrestling—remain in detention, further deepening concerns within the global sporting community.
Mohammadi, a bronze medallist at the 2024 Saytiyev Cup in Russia, had maintained his innocence during trial proceedings, stating he was elsewhere at the time of the alleged crime. His defence was ultimately rejected by the court.
His death is now being viewed as more than a legal case—it has become a symbol of the intersection between sport, politics and human rights.
As international pressure mounts, the execution underscores a troubling reality: for some athletes, representing their country on the global stage does not shield them from the consequences of political dissent.
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Chuck Norris, the former martial arts champion and 1980s action-film hero who fought the bad guys in “Code of Silence,” “Missing in Action” and “The Delta Force” and upheld the law in the TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” died on Thursday, his family said in a statement on his Instagram account on Friday.
“While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace,” the statement read.
The six-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate Champion, whose tough-guy image inspired satirical “facts” that made him an Internet phenomenon, had been hospitalised in Hawaii on Thursday, Variety reported.
Norris starred in more than two dozen films portraying silent loners, soldiers, lawmen, veterans and All-American heroes who captured criminals, released prisoners of war, rescued hostages and battled terrorists.
With his roundhouse kicks he fought martial arts icon Bruce Lee in Rome’s Colosseum in his 1973 film debut “The Way of the Dragon.” Along with actor Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis he helped defeat villain Jean-Claude Van Damme in the 2012 blockbuster “The Expendables 2.”
Time magazine described him as “the ultimate tough guy.”
“In his strictly wham-bam B-movie genre, Norris, a former karate champion, has become the undisputed superstar,” it said in 1985.
Norris dodged bullets, landed kicks squarely on an opponent’s jaw and dismissed multiple villains at a time in his action-packed films.
His macho image made him a hit at the box office and on the small screen. From 1993 to 2001, he played Sergeant Cordell Walker, an upstanding lawman, former Marine and martial arts expert in “Walker, Texas Ranger.”
The bearded actor, writer and producer became an online cult hero in 2005 when an American student created what became Chuck Norris Facts, online jokes about the actor’s physical prowess and masculinity that became a viral sensation and inspired several books.
Among the most popular were “Chuck Norris has a mug of nails instead of coffee in the morning” and “Chuck Norris doesn’t do push-ups; he pushes the Earth down.”
AN UNLIKELY TOUGH GUY
Carlos Ray Norris was born on March 10, 1940 in Ryan, Oklahoma, the oldest of three brothers. The family moved to California after his parents divorced.
He was extremely quiet and introverted, which he attributed to his father’s alcoholism and the family’s poverty.
“In school I was shy and inhibited,” Norris wrote in his 2004 memoir “Against All Odds: My Story.” “If the teacher asked me to recite something aloud in front of the class, I would just shake my head no.”
Norris was also not a natural athlete. He had to train remarkably hard to become a martial arts champion, he said. After graduating from school, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1958. While stationed in South Korea, he learned Tang Soo Do, a form of karate, and other martial arts.
The future film star started teaching martial arts in California after his discharge. He also won major competitions. Actor Steve McQueen, who was one of Norris’ students, encouraged him to try acting.
“He told me that I should think about projecting a presence, and never do a part that had a lot of dialogue,” Norris told the New York Times in a 1985 interview.
“He told me, ‘Movies are visual, and when you try to verbalize something, you’re going to lose the audience.’”
Norris’ films grossed millions and made him a popular figure among the U.S. military. He visited Iraq in 2006 and 2007 to show his support for American troops.
In 1990, he founded his own martial arts discipline, Chun Kuk Do, and established the nonprofit organization, Kickstart Kids, to teach children martial arts and self-esteem.
A patriot, Conservative and devout Christian, he worked with the National Rifle Association (NRA) and was a contributor to WorldNetDaily, a far-right news and aggregator website.
In addition to his best-selling memoir, Norris published “The Secret of Inner Strength – My Story,” his guide to self-improvement, as well as several books on fitness and martial arts and two novels – 2006’s “The Justice Riders” and its sequel, “A Threat to Justice.”
He was married twice and had five children.
Norris defended his films to critics who claimed they promoted violence. If they are well written, he said, action films can tell a story as effectively as any drama or romance.
“It’s how it’s done. I don’t advocate violence for violence’s sake,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 1994. “What people hang on to is that the good guy wins in the end.”
-ReutersTop of Form
Chuck Norris starred in “Walker, Texas Ranger” from 1993 to 2001. Courtesy CBS
-Reuters
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Nigeria’s football community was plunged into mourning on Saturday following the death of former Green Eagles midfielder Henry Nwosu, one of the heroes of the country’s historic 1980 Africa Cup of Nations triumph.
Nwosu reportedly died in a Lagos hospital in the early hours of Saturday, bringing to an end the life of one of Nigeria’s most gifted midfielders and a revered figure in the nation’s football history.
Widely regarded as one of the finest left-sided midfielders of his era, Nwosu rose to prominence as the youngest member of the Green Eagles squad that won Nigeria’s first Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980 at the age of 17. He later featured prominently in the teams that reached the AFCON finals in 1984 and 1988.
Reacting to the news, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) General Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi described the death as a painful loss for Nigerian football, coming only days after the passing of former NFF Technical Director and two-time Super Eagles coach Chief Adegboye Onigbinde.
“This is another very sad news, even as we are still mourning the demise of Chief Onigbinde,” Sanusi said. Nigeria football can never forget the enormous contributions of Henry Nwosu both as a player and a coach. We pray that God will grant him eternal rest, and also grant the family he has left behind, as well as friends and relations, the fortitude to bear the loss.”
One of Nwosu’s most memorable moments came on April 25, 1981, when the then 18-year-old scored a spectacular long-range goal against Guinea in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match. The strike, fired from the edge of the penalty area late in the game, secured Nigeria’s progression to the final round of the qualifiers against Algeria.
Beyond the famous 1980 AFCON triumph on home soil, Nwosu was instrumental in Nigeria’s journeys to the championship matches of the 1984 and 1988 tournaments. In both finals, Nigeria faced Cameroon—losing 3–1 in Abidjan in 1984 and suffering a narrow and controversial defeat in Casablanca four years later, when a first-half header by Nwosu was ruled out by Mauritanian referee Idrissa Sarr.
His passing means nine members of the historic 1980 AFCON-winning squad have now died, including goalkeepers Best Ogedegbe and Moses Effiong, defenders Tunde Bamidele, Okey Isima and Christian Chukwu, midfielders Mudashiru Lawal and Aloysius Atuegbu, and forward Martins Eyo.
At club level, Nwosu dazzled fans with his creativity, dribbling skills and vision while playing for New Nigerian Bank FC of Benin and ACB FC of Lagos, before later continuing his career in Côte d’Ivoire.
After hanging up his boots, he remained involved in the sport, working as a coach with several domestic clubs and contributing to the development of younger players.
His death marks the passing of another member of the golden generation that laid the foundation for Nigeria’s continental success in football.
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