Katsina United defender Chinedu Ozor remains in critical condition after he collapsed during a pre-season friendly against Niger Tornadoes at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina.
Ozor was taken for emergency medical attention after collapsing during the Gusau/Ahlan Pre-season Cup fixture. According to Katsina United media officer Nasir Gide, the defender was initially taken to a nearby hospital, where a doctor pronounced him dead, before he was transported to Katsina General Hospital, where he was again reportedly declared dead.
The situation took a dramatic turn when mortuary staff at Katsina General Hospital noticed movement in Ozor’s body.
He was immediately removed from the mortuary and transferred to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, where he was placed on oxygen as medical personnel continued efforts to stabilize him. Gide said the player had effectively been declared dead twice before the signs of life were noticed.
The development had earlier prompted Katsina United to issue a condolence message announcing Ozor’s death. The club described the incident as a medical emergency during the friendly and expressed sympathy to his family and loved ones.
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Several members of the Nigerian football community also reacted to the initial reports of his death. Former club Heartland urged supporters to pray for the defender after reports emerged that he had been moved from the mortuary to intensive care, while Kano Pillars and other football stakeholders also joined the wave of tributes before the subsequent update.
The circumstances surrounding the conflicting pronouncements of death have not yet been fully explained publicly. No detailed medical report establishing the cause of Ozor’s collapse or explaining the subsequent detection of signs of life had been released as of Wednesday.
The incident has therefore left the Nigerian football community awaiting an official medical account of what happened, while Ozor remains under intensive medical care at Katsina General Hospital.
For now, attention remains focused on his condition and the efforts of medical personnel to stabilize the defender following the extraordinary sequence of events.
Daily Trust
