A Shooting Stars defender Izu Joseph has been reported dead after he was hit by stray bullet in Bayelsa.

The late player was part of the Oluyole Warriors which finished 14th at the just concluded 2015/2016 season of the Nigerian Professional Football League which Enugu Rangers emerged champions.

A tweet by the Ibadan based club reads: “A Shooting STAR is gone! Izu Joseph is gone! Flamboyant defender is gone! RIP, brother. What a life! May God strengthen his family #Tragedy.” A Shooting STAR is gone! Izu Joseph is gone! Flamboyant defender is gone! RIP, brother. What a life! May God strengthen his family #Tragedy pic.twitter.com/m9cZxtq6bm — Shooting Stars SC (@Official3SC) October 17, 2016

It was alleged that defender was hit by a bullet as officers of the Joint Task Force (JTF) engaged militants of the restive Niger Delta in a long-drawn face-off on Sunday, October 16. Izu Joseph joined Shooting Stars in 2014 from Bayelsa United when the Ibadan club were still in the second-tier Nigeria National League.

Read more: https://www.naij.com/1011063-shocking-nigerian-footballer-shot-soldiers-bayelsa.html