Nigerian football is following the health condition of 33-year-old Chinedu Ozor with apprehension. The player is admitted to an intensive care unit at Katsina General Hospital after losing consciousness during a match between Katsina United and Niger Tornadoes, valid for the Gusau/Ahlan Cup, a pre-season tournament.
Player is presumed dead, goes to the morgue and shows signs of life
Nigerian football is following the health condition of 33-year-old Chinedu Ozor with apprehension. The player is admitted to an intensive care unit at Katsina General Hospital after losing consciousness during a match between Katsina...
The case took on an unusual shape after Katsina United itself announced the death of the right-back, recently signed from Kano Pillars for the 2026/27 season. Ozor fell ill during the match on Tuesday and received treatment at the scene.
- Hours later, Katsina United published a note stating that the player had died.
- "The player was immediately assisted and subsequently transported to the nearby specialized hospital to receive urgent medical attention.
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The case took on an unusual shape after Katsina United itself announced the death of the right-back, recently signed from Kano Pillars for the 2026/27 season.
Ozor fell ill during the match on Tuesday and received treatment at the scene. He was then taken to a nearby health unit.
Hours later, Katsina United published a note stating that the player had died.
"The player was immediately assisted and subsequently transported to the nearby specialized hospital to receive urgent medical attention. However, despite efforts to save his life, Ozoh Chinedu unfortunately passed away," the club said.
At the same demonstration, the team lamented the athlete's supposed death and stated that the circumstances still needed to be clarified.
"His death comes as a huge shock to his teammates, coaching staff, management, fans and the wider football community, particularly at a time when he had just arrived at Katsina United and was preparing for the new season," he added.
A few hours later, however, new information completely changed the course of the case.
Heartland FC, the player's former club, reported on social media that Ozor had shown signs of movement after being taken to the morgue.
"Reliable sources say that Chinedu Ozor was transported from the morgue to the hospital, after allegedly showing signs of movement," the club published.
The team added that the athlete was receiving oxygen as doctors tried to stabilize him.
"Ozor, we believe in the God of a second chance. May God restore your life and bless you with a complete recovery", said another part of the message.
Player was taken from the morgue to the ICU
This Wednesday, the Nigerian newspaper "Punch" reported that Chinedu Ozor was admitted to the intensive care unit at Katsina General Hospital.
The information was confirmed by Katsina United's press officer, Nasir Gide, who reported the sequence of events after the player left the field.
"When we transported him to the nearest hospital, he was declared dead by a doctor. We collected the police report and took him back to Katsina General Hospital where he was also said to be dead," he said.
According to Gide, the athlete's body was sent to the morgue. Later, members of the medical team would have noticed movements and decided to take him back to intensive care.
"Medical staff later informed us that he had been taken back to the intensive care unit from the morgue when they noticed movement in the body," he said.
The episode also provoked a reaction among the clubs competing in the pre-season tournament.
Barau FC announced its intention to abandon the competition in protest against the organizers' decision to maintain the tournament even after the alleged death of Chinedu Ozor was announced.
The player remains under medical supervision at Katsina General Hospital.
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