Ex-international escapes death

February 11,2006 was not particularly to neither remember nor forget with a wave of the hand by ex-junior international, Johnbull Omoregie. The former Bendel Insurance and Stationery Stores FCs goal warden had travel to Benin, the Edo State Capital,which is his home town to pay "my last respect to my late father, who died while I was away."

But unknown to the JB (as he is fondly called by his close pals), a robbery incident had only taken place a few metres away, where a bride and her groom had been robbed and shot. And JB narrates his ordeal and how he got salvation from Above:

"As I was about setting out for the cementary where my late father's remains laid that fateful morning at about 11 am, some old neighbours accosted me. Ofcourse, I had to park my car to greet them as tradition demands; but before I knew it, four men armed men had arrived the scene on a bike with two on each.

"Before I could say "Jack" they were all over me...I was shocked but I did not loose my composure and senses. Quickly too, I reacted by diving on one of them who fell into a nearby gutter and in the process, the other shot at me and got me on the thigh. Unknown to me and others around, the robbers were being chased by Anti-crime men of the Nigeria Police.

"The police quickly closed in on them and immediately shot the one who shot me and the other robber,who was already in the gutter. Thereafter, I was taken to the Police Hospital and medically attended to before I requested to be taken to Lagos for further treatment," Omoregie,who was disturbed by the spate of crime in the Edo State capital concluded.

"My questions now are; what is the Edo State Government doing to peg crime in our state? What have we done to deserve being haunted and taunted by hoodlums when there is supposed to be a government in place?" nigeriasports.com congratulated the once upon a time whiz kid keeper, who is now a players manager based in Europe...and we say, 'regie, the answers to your question are blowing in the wind in Benin City."