Aigbovo recounts encounters with himHIS house behind Oni and Sons Memorial Hospital, within the Ring Road neighbourhood in Ibadan, could pass for a beautiful mansion in the ancient city.The two-storey building with black strips on the windows, covering about 200x200 yards, was where the late gangling striker and Nigeria's all-time leading scorer, Rashidi Yekin, had lived since 1995. He was said to have bought the house from an Ibadan-based businessman with the earnings from the USA '94 FIFA World Cup, where he scored Nigeria's first goal against Bulgaria.But Yekini is no more. He died last Friday and has since been buried according to Muslim rites in his hometown, Iraa, Kwara State. The news of his death and the circumstances surrounding it have generated so many riddles, which might require the services of some law enforcement agencies to interpret.According to Shooting Stars and Super Eagles' former goalkeeper, David Aigbovo, the true story of how Yekini was moved from his house in Ibadan about a month ago and how he met his death in Kwara could only be told by close members of his family. Aigbovo, who is the Assistant Secretary General of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (AFPON), took his time to narrate his last encounter with Yekini in an interview with The Guardian in Ibadan.As his lawyer had insisted earlier, Aigbovo said all the story concerning 'madness' associated with Yekini before his death were untrue: 'It was not true that he was mad because I met him on two occasions not too long before he was moved from Ibadan. I had a very cordial relationship with Yekini, it started even before I finally settled down in Ibadan after my playing days with Shooting Stars,' he submitted.'When I was the goalkeeper of Flash Flamingoes in Benin City, Yekini was playing for Abiola Babes and he scored two goals against me in the 1986 National League and during the FA Cup group stage in Kaduna. Since then, we became good friends.'One of his last encounters with Yekini, he said, was when the rumour made the rounds that the gangling striker had lost his mind: 'I heard the rumour one early morning when I went to the Liberty Stadium for my usual keep-feet-training. I was troubled. The moment I got home, I went to his house and luckily I met Yekini doing some clean up in his house.'When he saw me, he shouted 'Super.' That is the name everyone, including Shooting Stars fans, call me because of my huge stature. I responded by hailing him 'Skippo.' After a few minutes of our discussion, I asked jokingly, Skippo, I heard you've gone mad. He laughed and said, 'I have heard people saying it as well but do I really look or behave like someone that is mad''Yekini went on to narrate his story to me. First, he said that as a Muslim and an ex-footballer, he loves making people around him happy. He told me how he gave money to assist some petty traders in his neighbourhood to build up their businesses. He also narrated how he dashed out some of his personal items when he wanted to change his furniture. He went on and on telling me how people started spreading rumour that he was using those things for rituals.'I could see the pain and agony in his eyes as he was narrating the story. Yekini told me that at a point, he decided not to give his things out to people. He said that what he did was to burn any item he considered due for replacement in his house, and there was a particular day he set some items he had replaced on fire in his compound and people started carrying rumour that he had gone mad.'According to the Super Eagles' former goalie, his last encounter with Yekini was shortly after a football event sponsored by Guinness for APFON (ex-footballers) in Ibadan. He said: 'We invited Yekini for the programme but he did not show up. As a close friend and I as assistant secretary general of the body, I was mandated to visit him to know why he refused to attend the show.'I went to his house but he was not there. We eventually met at the Liberty Stadium the following morning, where he was training alone. He told me that he was trying to avoid people's wahala hence he refused to show up. But he promised to honour our future invitation. As assistant secretary of APFON, I was trying to lure Yekini closer to our activities because in his playing days, Yekini actually converted so many people to love football.'I went to his house recently only to be told by someone that he had been taken to Kwara for treatment. I was confused because Yekini never showed any sign of ill health the last time we met at the stadium. The only thing I knew about him was that he always avoided people. I won't call that madness. That was why we were trying to draw him closer.'When the news of his death filtered into Ibadan on Friday, Aigbovo, like some other ex-footballers, found it difficult to believe, saying: 'My first response was that it must be another Yekini, until it was later confirmed to me by another ex-player.'I rushed to his house immediately and met people crying. You see, it will take long for some people within that vicinity to recover from the shock of his death. I am saying this because so many women and young men had benefited from Yekini's good gesture. His death is a big loss to our football industry.'Aigbovo went memory lane when he recalled the several 'hot shots' he received from Yekini's boots in their playing days: 'In 1986, I was the goalkeeper for Flash Flamingoes in Benin City and Yekini was playing for Abiola Babes. During our league match at Asero Stadium, Yekini scored against me to secure victory for Abiola Babes. He came to Ogbe Stadium in Benin to cause another havoc by scoring the only goal of the match. The defeat at home was so painful to our club's proprietor, Patrick Osakwe.'That same year, Flash Flamingoes, Abiola Babes, Niger Tornadoes, UNTL Football Club and Nigerian Airways were grouped together in the FA Cup competition in Kaduna. We were leading the group after winning three matches. On our match day with Abiola Babes, Osakwe came from Benin to cheer us to victory. He told us before that match that Abiola Babes must not beat us a third time in a year. In particular, the man told me to do everything possible to stop Yekini from scoring.'When the match started, Yekini was everywhere; they needed a victory to qualify from the group and much as I tried, I couldn't stop him from scoring. He scored the only goal of the match. I saw Osakwe shaking his head on the stand. That was how Yekini conquered Flash Flamingoes all round that very year.'True to Aigbovo's words, some residents around Yekini's house behind Oni and Sons Memorial Hospital in Ibadan are yet to overcome the shock of the death.However, according to a story narrated by a young man, who identified himself simply as Mufu, the Federal Government must investigate how Yekini died. Mufu said: 'One afternoon, a close member of Yekini's family came here with four men in a local council bus from Kwara State. He was forcefully taken away from this house.'When they came, Yekini was not around and they waited, positioning themselves at strategic locations around the building. As soon as he drove in, they pounced on him in an attempt to force him into the bus. Yekini resisted, but the relative shouted at one of the men, saying, 'alfa, go and bring that thing from the bus.' Some of us wanted to question the people but the relation (woman) told us to stay away, that they were taking him to Kwara for treatment.'The man (alfa) ran back with a charm and hit Yekini on his head, leg, back and hands. It was like a movie. Few seconds after, Yekini started chanting some incantations while the men stood watching. They later forced him into the bus and took him away. That was about a month ago. I am sure something must have gone wrong in the process of administering the concoction to Yekini in Kwara by the alfa. They must have told the women that Yekini was mad. But I would disagree with anyone who said so.'According to Mufu, Yekini had resisted several attempts by the same woman to take him away in the past: 'There was a time she came here with two men to take Yekini away, but he refused to follow them. Yekini was not mad as being rumoured in some quarters. He was a peaceful man in the area. The only thing was that he kept to himself.'He drove himself around and was not communicating with people. We all knew him for that. As I said, the government should investigate it. They should go to their home in Ilorin and find out who brought those alfas to Ibadan to take Yekini away about a month ago.
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