Club forced to respond after reports claimed footballer ‘came back to life’ in mortuary after being declared dead

Katsina United, who play in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), the top tier of the Nigerian football league system, have rejected reports that their newly signed player, Chinedu Ozor, regained consciousness after being declared dead and taken to a mortuary. The club clarified that Ozor died following a medical emergency during a pre-season friendly, while his family’s request for further medical confirmation was the source of the confusion.The extraordinary reports emerged on Tuesday evening, hours after Ozor collapsed during Katsina United’s match against Niger Tornadoes at Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina, sparking widespread speculation that the footballer had somehow survived.

Ozor died after collapsing during pre-season friendly

Ozor, a newly signed Katsina United player who had previously been associated with Kano Pillars, collapsed during the pre-season fixture against Niger Tornadoes on Tuesday, August 11.According to the club’s initial account, he was immediately attended to before being taken to K-Dara Specialist Hospital in Katsina for urgent medical treatment. Despite efforts to save him, Ozor died.His death came shortly after he had joined Katsina United and was preparing for the forthcoming season, leaving his teammates, coaching staff, club officials and supporters mourning the loss.The circumstances surrounding the medical emergency had not been fully established in the initial announcement.

How reports of a revival emerged

The situation took an unexpected turn later on Tuesday when grassroots sports journalist Prince CJ reported that Ozor had shown signs of movement after being taken to a mortuary.The report claimed that he had subsequently been taken back to hospital, where he was receiving oxygen while medical staff attempted to revive him.The extraordinary claim quickly circulated, creating the impression that the footballer had been declared dead prematurely and had later regained consciousness.Katsina United has now categorically rejected that account.

Katsina United says the reports were false

In a statement issued through its media directorate, the club said Ozor had died following the incident and had not regained consciousness.“Chinedu Ozor passed away following the incident. Claims suggesting that he later regained consciousness or ‘came back to life’ are inaccurate and should be dismissed,” the club said.Katsina United explained that Ozor’s family, overwhelmed by the initial news and understandably hoping that he might still be alive, requested additional medical confirmation before his body was taken to the morgue.The club stressed that this request should not be interpreted as evidence that Ozor had shown signs of life.“They were a family desperately hoping that somehow, against all odds, their loved one was still with them,” Katsina United said in its longer statement. “That moment of hope must not be turned into a story that Chinedu survived.”The club then stated plainly: “He did not regain consciousness. He passed away.”

Club asks for rumours to stop

Katsina United appealed to media outlets, bloggers and members of the public to stop circulating the revival claims, pointing to the effect that such reports could have on Ozor’s family and those close to him.“We understand that people desperately wanted this to be true. We all did. But sadly, those reports are not true,” the club said.It added that Ozor was more than a footballer to those around him, describing him as “a son, a brother, a teammate, a friend and a young man whose life meant so much to many people.”“At this moment, what his family needs is compassion, not speculation. What his teammates need is space to grieve. And what Chinedu deserves is to be remembered with dignity,” the club said.Katsina United’s original press release said the football community in Katsina State and across Nigeria had been left mourning a young player whose career was cut short just as he prepared to begin a new chapter with the club.The club concluded its clarification with an appeal for the player to be allowed to rest and for his family, teammates and friends to be given the space to grieve.