Shot Sunshine Stars’ assistant kit manager confirmed dead, NFF mourns

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been plunged into mourning following the demise of Taiwo Dosunmu, the assistant kit manager of Sunshine Stars Football Club in Akure.

Dosunmu succumbed to complications arising from gunshot wounds sustained during an armed robbery attack on the team earlier this month.

The tragic incident occurred as the players and officials of the Nigeria Premier Football League club, Sunshine Stars FC, were en route to a scheduled league match against Bendel Insurance FC on Benin-Ore expressway on December 7.

The team’s bus fell victim to an armed robbery, resulting in Dosunmu being hit by a bullet.

Expressing the NFF’s sorrow, President Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau conveyed heartfelt condolences on Saturday.

He acknowledged the prompt response and supportive gestures from Governor Godwin Obaseki and the Edo State Government in the aftermath of the unfortunate incident.

Despite the collective grief, Gusau emphasized that questioning God’s wisdom in such situations was beyond human understanding.

President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau said on Saturday: “This is a very sad development, but God is all-knowing and we can never question His wisdom. We appreciate the prompt response and kind gestures of His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki and the Edo State Government as a whole following the unfortunate incident, even as we are deeply saddened by Dosunmu’s death.

“Our prayer is that Almighty God will grant the late Dosunmu eternal rest, and also grant his immediate family, relations and the Board and Management of Sunshine Stars FC, as well as the good people of Ondo State and the Nigeria Football fraternity the fortitude to bear the loss.”

Dosunmu’s passing away will be a significant blow to Sunshine Stars FC and the Nigerian football community.

An official statement from the NPFL club revealed that Taiwo Dosunmu breathed his last at the Intensive Care Unit of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital after undergoing a series of surgeries.

Described as a diligent and hardworking individual who approached his job with utmost seriousness, Dosunmu’s untimely death has left a void in the football community, leaving many to reflect on the risks associated travelling for league games in the country.