The ancestral family house of Super Eagles’ late hero, Samuel Sochukwuma Okwaraji is under lock and key ‘indefinitely’ in the Umudioka area of Imo State, Sports247 reports.
READ ALSO: Township Comprehensive Secondary School Students Take Consolation In Football
It was gathered that the house became desolate after the death of the late footballer’s mother, whose presence kept the place alive for some years.
Most visitors to the premises during her days were journalists, tourists and holidaymakers, who usually trooped in to make enquiries about the origins of Okwaraji, who died on August 12th, 1989 while playing for Nigeria against Angola in a World Cup qualifier.
The death of Okwaraji brought global attention to the rustic community of Umudioka, with several government officials, sports personalities and clansmen turning up at various points to give consoling words to the late player’s mother.
A former sports minister earlier promised her a monthly salary for life, which became a source of succour to the elderly matriarch, who lived for several years in the same compound where her son was buried, but his grave is now desecrated.
A curious peep into the compound through gaps in the front gate revealed that the single story building, which used to be alive with activities, is now abandoned and covered with overgrown weeds.
“This place has been like this, sealed with a heavy padlock for over two years now. It has been like this since Mama died,” a female neighbour seen in the area told Sports247.
A male neighbour, who refused to give his name, added, “This is not the way to treat a hero. Since his mother is now dead, government should take over the place and turn it into a museum.”
