BEVERLY HILLS, March 23, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian football community is going through another phase of mourning with the announcement that the former Super Eagles Midfielder and Lobi Stars’ Team Manager, Barnabas Imenger, has died.
His death was confirmed on Monday by the Media Officer of Lobi Stars, Austin Tyowua.
Tyowua said Imenger died at the National Hospital in Abuja in the early hours of Monday morning after a protracted illness.
He called the death a huge loss to their team, in particular, and to the country, in general.
Due to his ailment, Imenger had been in and out of the hospital for some months before his demise. Before he was referred to the National Hospital in Abuja, the former midfielder was said to have been on life support at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Benue State.
Imenger featured with the Super Eagles in the mid-90s and was part of the Nigerian contingent that played at the FIFA Confederations Cup (King Fahd Cup) in Saudi Arabia in 1995 and finished fourth.
He was the second-youngest member of that team being 19 years of age at the time.
The Lobi Stars’ Team Manager’s professional football career began in Makurdi with HMB FC, before he moved to BBL Hawks, the side which later changed its name to Lobi Bank FC but is now known simply as Lobi Stars and plays in the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL).
Imenger also played for the BCC Lions of Gboko, El-kanemi Warriors Maiduguri and, while abroad, played professional football in Saudi Arabia, as well.
In one of his international caps, he scored Nigeria’s opener in the 6-0 trouncing of Ethiopia in Lagos to qualify for the 1994 Tunisia AFCON in Tunisia.
His passing comes after the recent deaths within the Nigerian football community such as those of Joe Erico, Yisa Sofoluwe, and Jide Dina.
Dina died earlier this month after a protracted illness also.
