Metro
Wife of man who died after Arsenal loss to Stoke City opens up
Wife of the Arsenal FC fan who slumped and died in Owerri, the Imo state capital during last weekend Premier League game against Stoke City, has opened up on how her husband, a ‘die-hard’ supporter of the Gunners, died.
The man’s wife, Ndidi Ejimba, who has three kids, said since Dominic, her husband died, on Saturday evening, things have not remained the same for the family.
The woman said that watching Arsenal play in any competition at all, was life to her husband.
She said the deceased had left his shop later that afternoon to watch matches involving top English Premiership clubs.
She told Punch, “My husband came back to the shop at the end of the first half of the match between Arsenal and Stoke City to urinate.
“He promised to be back at the end of the match, telling me how his club would win. But about 20 minutes after he left to watch the second half of the match, somebody rushed to the house to inform me that he had slumped at the viewing centre and that he was being rushed to a hospital.
“When I got to the hospital and saw him, he was almost dead. He was on a stretcher. At a point, one of our neighbours, who was among those that rushed him to the hospital, told me to go back to lock the shop and get a vehicle we could use to transfer him to another hospital.
“According to him, the hospital he was rushed to couldn’t handle the situation. I never knew it was a trick to send me away from the place because all that time my husband was already dead.
“It was until the next day, which was a Sunday that I finally believed that my husband was dead after he failed to wake up.
“His corpse was finally deposited at the morgue by the hospital workers. The sight of his lifeless body left me in utmost shock and a deep sorry state.
“My husband was neither sick nor showed any sign of being unhealthy. He woke up normally and we were all looking forward to a great day and other activities that weekend before the tragedy.
“We had plans together as a family but now death has taken him away. He died less than one month after we moved into our new house in the village. We were planning to dedicate the new building with relatives and friends when he died.
“To imagine that my husband who took good care of us is no longer around is unbelievable . I don ’t know where to go from here because life has not been the same for us since then.
“Watching Arsenal play was his life. He would rebuke and sometimes ignore me whenever I told him to reduce his obsession with Arsenal.
“He loved the club so much. He was ready to chase his customers away and lock up his shop just to watch the team play.
“For the 10 years that we were married, he never stopped watching football matches involving Arsenal.
“He was a loving man to his family and all those who came in contact with him. He had a lot of plans for us especially the children whom he promised to train to any level as far as education was concerned.
“He did his best to always make us comfortable and happy; we never knew death would snatch him away from us so soon. Words cannot tell how much we will miss him.”
It was a night of sorrow and devastation in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, as a horrific multiple-vehicle crash along the Ibadan axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway claimed at least five lives and left eight others injured in a fiery chain collision involving trucks, tankers, and smaller vehicles.
The accident occurred at about 10:00 p.m. on Friday around the Satguru Maharaji Ji Village axis, just before the Ibadan Toll Gate, throwing the busy highway into chaos as flames and thick smoke engulfed the scene.
The crash involved six trucks, including gas tankers and trailer units, two Toyota Hilux vans, and two cars, according to emergency officials who described it as one of the most severe road accidents in recent times on the corridor.
Eyewitnesses said the tragedy began when one of the trucks reportedly suffered brake failure and rammed into another vehicle ahead of it, triggering a chain reaction that quickly escalated into a multi-vehicle inferno.
In moments, several vehicles were trapped in the blaze, while terrified motorists and bystanders watched helplessly as the fire spread across the expressway.
Eight persons were rescued alive with varying degrees of injuries and were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals for urgent medical attention.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, said the crash was caused by brake failure which spiralled into a massive fire outbreak.
“Upon arrival, we discovered that the accident involved six trucks (gas tankers and trailer trucks) and two cars, resulting in a fire outbreak,” he said.
“Five persons were recovered dead, while eight others were rescued and handed over to the team of the Federal Road Safety Corps led by SRC Adegbite from Toll Gate, Ibadan, for further medical attention at the nearest hospital.”
Firefighters eventually brought the inferno under control after hours of operation, while security operatives and traffic officials worked to clear wreckage and restore movement on the busy expressway.
Normalcy has since returned to the road, but the tragedy has left behind a grim reminder of the dangers of mechanical failure and unsafe haulage on Nigeria’s busiest highway.
A deeply disturbing incident has left residents of Daura Local Government Area, Katsina State, in shock after a 20-year-old woman allegedly killed her 97-year-old grandmother during a family dispute.
The Katsina State Police Command confirmed that the tragic incident occurred at about 7:00 p.m. on June 12, 2026, following an argument between the suspect and her paternal grandmother at their residence.
According to preliminary investigations, the disagreement escalated into violence when the young woman allegedly struck the elderly victim on the head with a wooden chair. The blow reportedly left the nonagenarian severely injured and unconscious.
The victim was later discovered in a pool of blood after the suspect’s father reported the incident to the Sabon Garin Daura Police Station. Police operatives immediately rushed to the scene and evacuated her to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention.
Despite efforts by medical personnel, she was confirmed dead by a doctor shortly after arrival.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Katsina State Command, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, said the suspect was arrested in the course of investigation and had reportedly made a confession to the crime.
He added that the suspect remains in custody and will be charged to court upon the completion of investigations, assuring that justice would be served in accordance with the law.
The command also appealed for calm among residents, reiterating its commitment to a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.
No fewer than 20 shops were razed while goods valued at over ₦200 million were destroyed after a midnight fire gutted a shopping complex in the Dugbe area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
The inferno, which started around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, affected the Nigerian Postal Service shopping complex located beside the Dugbe General Post Office.
Eyewitnesses told our correspondent on Sunday that the fire was allegedly triggered by an accident involving a Lexus saloon car.
According to residents, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle while travelling from the Queen’s Cinema axis towards Iyaganku.
The vehicle was said to have rammed into a giant billboard situated in front of the Nigerian Railway Corporation station in Ibadan before somersaulting and splitting into two.
Witnesses said the rear part of the vehicle, reportedly carrying a Compressed Natural Gas tank and back tyres, detached and rolled into the shopping complex, where an explosion occurred, igniting the fire.
The blaze razed about 20 shops dealing in stationery, computer accessories and clothing materials, leaving traders counting heavy losses.
Men of the Oyo State Fire Service were, however, able to prevent the fire from spreading to the General Post Office and adjoining buildings.
The occupants of the Lexus reportedly escaped unhurt.
Although some eyewitnesses alleged that the occupants were heading towards the Ring Road area before the crash, authorities had yet to officially confirm details surrounding their identities and movement as of the time of filing this report.
When our correspondent visited the scene around 8 a.m. on Sunday, firefighters and security operatives were still at the complex battling the aftermath of the inferno as smoke billowed from sections of the affected structure.
Shop owners and residents gathered at the scene, lamenting the destruction of goods and property.
One of the affected traders, Kingsley Chioma, said the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Iyaganku Police Station assured victims that efforts were underway to apprehend the driver.
“We lost goods worth millions of naira to the fire. The DPO assured us that the driver responsible for the incident would be arrested,” Chioma said.
As of the time of filing this report, officials of the Oyo State Fire Service and the police had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
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