Former Nigerian international Segun Odegbami has disclosed that his 1980 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) teammate, Kadiri Ikhana, is seriously ill and receiving treatment at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Auchi, Edo State.

In a post published on Facebook on Monday, Odegbami said Ikhana had been transferred to the hospital for further medical evaluation and blood transfusion. He described the situation as critical and emphasized the urgency of the former player’s condition.

Odegbami revealed that former chairman of the South-South Police Service Commission, Austin Braimoh, has so far been responsible for covering Ikhana’s medical expenses. He noted that during brief moments of consciousness, Ikhana asked him to request prayers from the public.

“In a muffled voice, when he was conscious enough and able to utter a few words, Kadiri begged me to ask Nigerians to pray for him. That’s what I am doing now,” Odegbami stated.

The former Green Eagles winger also called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the National Sports Commission (NSC), and the Edo State government to intervene and support the former national team player.

According to Odegbami, many retired Nigerian athletes are facing severe health and financial challenges. He said five former internationals have died in the past four months, describing the deaths as possibly linked to long-term health effects of their athletic careers.

“It is absolutely clear to me that most of us, retired international Nigerian athletes, need help. We are suffering, living in pain, poverty, and poor health,” he wrote. “These deaths may not be totally unconnected with the consequences of ‘over flogging’ our bodies during our sports careers. Nobody knows for sure.”

Ikhana represented Nigeria at the 1980 Olympics and was a key figure in the national team for over a decade. At the club level, he played for Bendel Insurance, where he won the Nigerian league title in 1979 and the FA Cup in 1978 and 1980.

He later became a prominent coach, leading Enyimba FC to win the CAF Champions League in 2003. His illness comes amid a spate of deaths among former Nigerian footballers, including Christian Chukwu, Peter Rufai, and Charles Bassey, who all died following periods of illness.

As the football community awaits further updates on Ikhana’s condition, calls for systemic support for retired athletes continue to gain traction.