Source: BBC network Africa this morning.

In view of the fact that Obafemi does not believe it was a robbery attempt since no attempt was made to steal anything, it reminds me of a question Bill Shankly was asked during a chat show interview in 1981 as follows:

Shelley Rohde: "Someone said football is more important than life and death to you?"
Bill Shankly: "Listen, it's more important than that"

It would seem that one or more people are taking this sentiment literally which is in now way a good development and more importantly doesn't do our image abroad any good at all. I can only hope that in the fullness of time we get to learn what the motives behind the attack were and those responsible are made to account for their actions.

Its not Oba's fault, he now has an EU passport and no longer needs us. I say it is time we went back to rebuilding, bring back Clemens Westerhoff, dump these riff raffs who stroll to camp when they like and start grooming new players.

It took us yrs of heartache before we came up with the 1994 eagles! With patience we can build a team that does not need Mikel and Martins! Before he went to Italy where there no robbers in Lagos? why is suddenly just realising they exist?

@King David

The thing disturb me no be small

Naija Robbers are predictable somehow. Their target is money NOT life.

They dont just open fire, maybe they are hired assasin.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2007280599,00.html

Could it be because he didnt play for Nigeria?

I don't think so

When did Nigeria started that rubbish?

It is purely an assasin case or identity mistake

@Kanu

Dont let me slap you o

1) Did you remember your house had been burgle more than 3 times in UK?

2) Which government can stop Assasin?

Pure armed robbery, if martins likes let him choose to play for Italy. I no longer bother about the Eagles again. Age has caught up and there are now better sports to root for like Tennis.

lets not trivialise the matter, his friend was shot for goodness sake! whether it was robbery or something else, it just reflects the general level of insecurity in the land. I'm sure Oba knows enough about Lagos to distinguish between simple robbers and something else. His car was sprayed with bullets, that doesn't sound like mere robbery to me. He has good reason to be concerned

If however the attack has to do with the fact that he refused to honour national assignments, it is also wrong, but he also has some blame to take in that.

@Debosky

I am sure its NOT Robbery

What can Government do about Assasins? NOTHING.

I don't know much about Onitsha or Canada but i knew with few hundreds you can eliminate anyone in London via Jamo people.

The only difference is the western government will Investigate the matter to the Core.

Do you know how Jay-jay, Kanu and Fashanu move in Naija? They move in Convoys.

God save us.

I feel very bitter with this development.If it is a case of assasins then the family should see it as a family problem or maybe he has some personal beef with whoever.Just like the saying goes that "there is no smoke without fire" afterall he is not a politician.On the other hand OBA GOAL is stingy compared to his peers he never settles "the BOYS" on the street and he forgets the streets made him.This is not enough reason for his Life to be endangered but please lets him still take a cue from this incidence .Awon Boys Ejorrr e falabareeee

Martiano:

I feel very bitter with this development.If it is a case of assasins then the family should see it as a family problem or maybe he has some personal beef with whoever.Just like the saying goes that "there is no smoke without fire" afterall he is not a politician.On the other hand OBA GOAL is stingy compared to his peers he never settles "the BOYS" on the street and he forgets the streets made him.This is not enough reason for his Life to be endangered but please lets him still take a cue from this incidence .Awon Boys Ejorrr e falabareeee

Martins is NOT in any way obliged to "settle" anybody. However, there are several ways he can put back into "the streets that made him".

He can set up a foundation or a soccer school, if he is so inclined,  to help kids develop their talents, so that is a way to "pay back".

What can Government do about Assasins? NOTHING.

Do you know how Jay-jay, Kanu and Fashanu move in Naija? They move in Convoys.

Do you think they move in convoys in other parts of the world too? Security is a big problem in nigeria! you have to admit it

@DisGuy

I agree with you that security issue is a big problem.

Why cant United State goverment stop the shooting/masacre of innocent student in that regretable shooting spree few months ago.

Even Kanu employ a bodyguard in UK, his name start with "P".

I watched it on a local tv here and i was just shoked. i think its just a treath to him. if they wanted to kill him, they would have done it.

The story has taken another turn; Obafemi was not in the car that was attacked.

PDF:

The story has taken another turn; Obafemi was not in the car that was attacked.

Ha!

Where did you hear that?

This had been highly reported in the western press

Akolawole:

Where did you hear that?

On a sports program on a local station here, it was confirmed by the PRO of Police of Lagos

It's even reported that the guy is stil in Lagos.

Hmmn. Na wa o. This sh*t's beginning to sound like some kinda masterminded arrangement. Make we dey look sha.

Hmmn. Na wa o. This sh*t's beginning to sound like some kinda masterminded arrangement. Make we dey look sha.

With the new evidence and eye witness account Obafemi was sleeping at home when the whole
thing happend.He even went to hank the police dpo for helping his driver.
He just want to use this as an opportunity to dump Nigeria.
I think its is lack of education that is his problem,he should have just call a press
conference and announce that he no longer want to play international football,
PAUL SCHOOLS,RYAN GIGGS,RIGULME,ZIDAN,MAKELELE,THURAM and host of others
have done it if they no longer want international action.
Why tarnish your father land?

1am any body or any flashy car could be attacked anywhere in the world.
AND HE WAS NOT IN THE CAR.
(WESTERHOF
IS THE SOLUTION TO OUR SOCCER THIS MAN WILL DISCOVER NEW TALENT AND THESE SO CALLED
BIG BOYS WILL NOT THINK THEY ARE gOD)

kliverpool:

With the new evidence and eye witness account Obafemi was sleeping at home when the whole
thing happend.He even went to hank the police dpo for helping his driver.
He just want to use this as an opportunity to dump Nigeria.
I[b] think its is lack of education that is his problem,he should have just call a press
conference and announce that he no longer want to play international football,
PAUL SCHOOLS,RYAN GIGGS,RIGULME,ZIDAN,MAKELELE,THURAM and host of others
have done it if they no longer want international action[/b].
Why tarnish your father land?

1am any body or any flashy car could be attacked anywhere in the world.
AND HE WAS NOT IN THE CAR.
(WESTERHOF
IS THE SOLUTION TO OUR SOCCER THIS MAN WILL DISCOVER NEW TALENT AND THESE SO CALLED
BIG BOYS WILL NOT THINK THEY ARE gOD)

LMAO . True talk sha

Police, Obafemi Martins disagree over attack
By Olukayode Thomas and Odita Sunday
THE reported attack on Super Eagles' striker Obafemi Martins snowballed into controversy yesterday as the Lagos State Police Command insisted that the popular footballer was not personally attacked by armed robbers as he claimed.

But in a swift reaction from Italy yesterday, Martins said he stood by his story.

According to him, the police could not have claimed to know what happened and who was at the scene of the attack when they did not get there until an hour after.

Lagos State Police spokesman, Mr. Olabode Ojajumi (SP), who spoke to journalists at the Command headquarters, in Ikeja said it was Martins vehicle which was attacked and not the footballer himself.

According to Ojajumi: "Obafemi Martins' driver in company of one of his friends was looking for diesel at about 1 a:m. A vehicle hit his Mecedez Benz Jeep marked BD 900 BDG. When the driver noticed they were robbers, he quickly put off the ignition and ran with the key. Then the robbers shot at him but he managed to race to the hospital."

He continued: "It was at that hospital that the driver of the vehicle, one Remi Onipede called the police and narrated what happened.

"Our men went to the scene of the incident and removed the vehicle to the Ajah Police Station. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ajah Police Station went to Martins' home at Victoria Garden City (VGC) at about 10 am in the morning to see the footballer, but he was told Martins was still sleeping and would not like to be disturbed. The DPO dropped his number and requested that Martins should call him."

Ojajumi further explained that: "Martins actually called the DPO thanking him for the good work of the police and said he was travelling overseas. But he begged the DPO to release the vehicle to him for repairs and pledged to report to the station when he comes back from his trip abroad, which the DPO did. Where did police go wrong? They called us, we were not there. We went to the hospital where the driver narrated what happened to us.

"His claim that he was attacked is a lie. He was not in the car. They were robbers who might have wanted to snatch the posh car but could not because the driver escaped with the key."

Martins, who plays for Newcastle in the English Premier League told the world on Tuesday that he escaped uninjured after being shot at while driving in Lagos.

"For a moment I thought I was going to die as they kept shooting at my car indiscriminately," said Martins.

"Those guys wanted me dead - they had no intention of sparing anyone in the car. They were not robbers because after the shooting they left without taking anything from the car. I thank God that my friend survived. It was like a movie but I thank God I'm alive to tell the story," he added.

The incident occurred at a petrol station by VGC, a suburb of Lagos, where Martins claimed he had stopped to buy fuel.

Meanwhile, Super Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu, has insisted that Nigeria's Premier League stars need protection after Martins was almost killed by a gang of masked gunmen.

"When I heard about it, I was totally shocked because I wonder why anyone would want to harm him," Kanu said.

"It's a sheer act of wickedness and one can only pray that God continues to protect us," he added.

It always comes down to he said, she said, in Naija. Why can't the media do a little investigative journalism and inform the public? Maybe we're still suffering from the "Dele Giwa" syndrome.

I'm telling you folks, this sh.t was all planned!

I'm telling you folks, this sh.t was all planned!

I don't really know which side of the story is true

"Martins the Police only God knows

when I heard of the news on Sport Express this morning, I was shocked and
confused at the same time.

Could Obagoal be using this as an excuse to stop playing for us? Why in the first
place, would anyone want to assasinate him? For not playing for Nigeria? Is he the
first person to do that? I am sure if that is the case, Babayaro should have been murdered
tey tey. He deserves the killing more than anybody else.

Obafemi should just come and tell us if he doesn't want to play
for Nigeria again and stop using this as a cover up. I am sure so many
people will be disappointed in him over this issue.

shio

bolaoni:

when I heard of the news on Sport Express this morning, I was shocked and
confused at the same time.

Could Obagoal be using this as an excuse to stop playing for us? Why in the first
place, would anyone want to assasinate him? For not playing for Nigeria? Is he the
first person to do that? I am sure if that is the case, Babayaro should have been murdered
tey tey. He deserves the killing more than anybody else.

Obafemi should just come and tell us if he doesn't want to play
for Nigeria again and stop using this as a cover up. I am sure so many
people will be disappointed in him over this issue.

shio

you chop winch abi na winch chop you?
Micheal okereku Obichukwu aka mikel obi deserves it though just a little shake up


they should have CCTV at the filling station side abi no be VGC side be that?

Na Black Market the guy dey go patronise sef, according to the report. This time wey life
easy for naija no be small, who go see fine ride wey im eye no go shook?

And for middle of the night too.

Can neva trust naija police jare.

Obagoal is obviously being economical with the truth, for reasons best known to him.

This obafemi martins is a nincompoop.I honestly believe this martins was payed to tarnish the image of his fatherland.how on earth ,could one explain the fact that martins
spoke about his ordeal to bbc and not channels tv.I believe nigeria should encourage only and only the export of literate footballers to europe.[/i][i][color=#000099][/color]

I dont believe Martins.


He framed d story up for reasons best known to him.