Onazi ‘lucky’ to escape death in bomb blast

Super Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi, was 15 minutes away from being consumed by last week’s twin blasts that killed more than 200 people in Jos, Plateau State.

The Lazio player had just left the popular Jos Main Market when the first blast rocked the area.

“I am very, very lucky, just by the grace of God,” he told the BBC.

“We had gone to the railway market to get something. I think it was 15 minutes later when we heard the loud blast from the place. And suddenly, people were just running.

“There was chaos and pandemonium. There was smoke, I was confused, lost, and I just wondered what had happened. I had no idea what was going on and it was scary. All my life I have never heard a bang or boom like that.”

Onazi, now in London with the national team who are preparing for Wednesday’s game with Scotland, is being distracted from the game with the unrest in Jos, the city he was born and where his siblings still reside.

“Some will say I should be happy to be alive but I just feel concerned about the security challenges in Jos and Nigeria as a country,” he said.

“I was born and bred in a peaceful Jos. I may be fortunate enough to live outside the place right now, but I still have my family and friends who live in the city.

“I always get worried when there are reports of terrible incidents there on a regular basis. It’s sad and depressing to live with this. Personally, I think there is a need for a holistic approach to solving this problem once and for all. Innocent people are dying and the government seriously needs to step up security across the country.”