Players and officials of Nigeria’s Caf Champions League representatives, Sunshine Stars on Thursday got a surprise visit from Malian army officials.
Members of the Mali government army forces stormed the Hotel Columbus lodgings of the Nigerians and searched their rooms.
Goalkeeper Segun Oluwaniyi said the soldiers knocked at the door of his hotel at around 2am local time (3am Nigerian time), leaving him shaken with fear.
“I have never experience such in my lifetime,” Oluwaniyi said.
“They knocked at around 2am and I asked who was at the door. I was scared but one of the (officers) who spoke English said they are here because of the situation of the country and just wanted to know who I was."
“They checked the bathroom, wardrope. I told them we are still in Bamako because we missed our flight because of the situation of the country, he asked me how many are we and I told him we are 10 that are trapped in the hotel and I told him to go to other rooms for him to know that we are not rebels that we are footballers and after checking they left my room and told me to be calm and I shouldn’t be worried,” Oluwaniyi said.
Six players and two officials of Sunshine Stars as well as two Nigerian journalists have been trapped in Bamako since drawing 1-1 against Djoliba AC in a Caf Champions League game on Sunday.
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