The Chairman of the Club Owners Association of Nigeria, Chief Okey Kpalukwu has reacted to the recent attack on Sunshine Stars bus by hoodlums.
Hoodlums, on Thursday, attacked the bus carrying Sunshine Stars of Akure to Benin City for a league game against Bendel Insurance.
The team was en route to a Nigerian Professional Football League fixture.
The attackers fired indiscriminately, causing severe injuries to players, officials, and a ball boy.
Reacting, Kpalukwu emphasized that the poor condition of the roads and the long distances traveled by clubs this season have made them vulnerable to criminal activities.
He advised that immediate action be taken to ensure the safety of players and officials during their travels.
He said:
“The news of armed men attack on Sunshine Stars team came to me as shock, but we thank God that no life was lost. This has once again brought to the forefront the poor security situation in our country, and something has to be done urgently by our government, especially at this time of the year. Let’s pray for the quick recovery of those injured.
“One of the major reasons armed men find it easy to attack and kill innocent Nigerians on our roads is because they’re very bad. Our major roads are in deplorable conditions, which forces vehicles to move slowly on them. Drivers are most times forced to a halt when navigating the very bad parts of our roads, and hoodlums take advantage of this to kill and maim innocent travellers. Let the government fix our roads to save lives.”
