Rivers United coach Eguma kidnapped by unknown gunmen

THE head coach of Nigeria Professional Football League club Rivers United, Stanley Eguma, has been kidnapped by unknown armed men in Enugu, according to reports.

Eguma was said to have been abducted on Tuesday on his way back to Port Harcourt from Gombe, a journey of about 750 kilometres from north to the south.

Rivers United had played an NPFL game against Adamawa United in Gombe on Sunday.

The Port Harcourt club have not confirmed Eguma’s whereabouts, but players have revealed that he has indeed been abducted.

He was said to be heading back on his own in his official car, rather than with the team bus, when the kidnappers captured him.

The kidnappers are said to be after ransom and are negotiating with the Rivers United management for Eguma to be released in exchange for money.

Kidnapping for ransom has become rampant in recent months in Nigeria, with hundreds of schoolchildren sometimes abducted at once and later released for huge sums.

The incidents are more prevalent in the northern parts of the country but Eguma was purportedly kidnapped around Enugu in the in south east, just over 200km to Port Harcourt.

He was reportedly travelling with two personal assistants whose whereabouts are also not clear.