By Akinwale Kasali
Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, Governorship Candidate in Ogun State during the last 2019 General Election in the country and former Green Eagles player, Segun Odegbami, has alleged that the late Super Eagles striker, Rashidi Yekini, was killed by friends due to his philanthropic gestures to people and the money he had.
The former 1980 African Cup of Nations winner made this allegation on Channels Television, saying that contrary to the insinuations that Yekini was suffering from insanity and schrizonphrenia, he was murdered by his friends.
“His people actually abducted him from his car and took him to a native doctor claiming that he was suffering from insanity. Why insanity? Just because he was doing some philanthropic projects, giving people money, which he had kept in the bank for so long.
“All through his professional career, he wasn’t spending lavishly, he had kept the money in the bank. The money he made in Europe was kept in his United Bank for Africa, UBA, account.
“He was advised to invest the money, but due to his own native intelligence, he had preferred to keep it in the bank. He built his house and did some little things. He had a lot of money on him so he decided to distribute it to people and assist them which his friends weren’t happy about that. They took him to a native doctor who started giving him some concoctions that later deteriorated his health which later led to his death. That’s why I said he was murdered by his friends”.
When asked how he got all this information, the Wasinmi born, Ogun State indigene, said he was privileged to be a friend to his account officer and one of the managers of the bank that revealed all this to him in confidence.
The late Yekini was an integral part of the Super Eagles team that won the 1994 AFCON tournament, and also qualified Nigeria for its first world cup appearance at the United States of America in 1994.
Yekini was, also, the African Footballer of the Year in 1995, and still remains Nigeria’s highest goal scorer of all time with 39 goals to his credit.
He died in year 2012.
