Former Super Eagles Goalkeeper, Ike Shorunmu, has urged clubs and security agencies to find ways of ensuring the safety of players and officials in their travels across the country to honour league matches, especially in this Christmas season.

Speaking in the wake of the armed robbery attack on players and officials of Sunshine Stars on Thursday along Benin Ore Highway on their way to a week 13 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) game against Bendel Insurance of Benin, Shorunmu described the incident as an unfortunate eye opener for the various government agencies to do more in protecting the lives of Nigerians.

“It is rather unfortunate that Sunshine Stars’ players and officials had to go through the horrific experience of armed robbery attack while travelling for a league game. Safety is for everybody, not only footballers. So, my advice is for the security agencies to patrol the highways to protect every traveller.

“The general security of the citizens must be protected. Thank God no life was lost in the armed robbery attack,’’ he said. Recounting his team’s ordeal in the hands of the gunmen, Sunshine Stars Media Officer, Michale Akintunde, said the incident happened about 5.04 p.m. at the Ore-Benin Highway, very close to Benin City.

“We were travelling for the league game against Insurance of Benin and along the road we saw a man coming out of the bush dressed in army camouflage…at that point, the bus driver thought he was a security personnel guiding the road. But before we knew what was happening, other members of his gang came out from the bush and started shooting at our bus.

“The driver was bold enough to keep moving on realizing that it was an armed rubbery attack. When the shooting subsided, we found out that one of the people in the bus had been shot on his abdomen.

“He is at currently at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital receiving treatment. When the attack was going on for hours, no Police or security personnel was spotted on the highway to help protect us. We later heard that an armed robbery gang always attack people on that spot.

“Our players are already in Benin preparing for Saturday’s game. I don’t think there is any plan to postpone the NPFL game because of our ordeal,” he said.

The shot passenger has been identified as a ball boy with the team. The club’s Team Manager, Seun Betiku, and some of other officials sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Following the incident, the injured members of the team were rescued by the officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), after which they were taken to an undisclosed hospital.