The family of Izuchukwu Augustine Akali, a 26-year-old Nigerian Air Force (NAF) officer, have been struggling to understand how he died in Abuja last Tuesday, days before his scheduled travel to represent NAF Football Club in China.
Except for a vague condolence letter from the Air Force, delivered at least two days after his parents started hearing rumours of his death, his parents have nothing else, not even his body, to verify the death and the cause.
In fact, it took the NAF three days to officially notify the family of his death. They claimed he died on Tuesday but kept mute until Friday, when the letter was delivered.
It was gathered that Akali still spoke with his father, a former soldier, on the phone in the early hours of March 11.
“Izuchukwu has been a footballer right from time, and he’s a very bright and good player. So, when he joined the Air Force, he started playing for them,” a cousin, who does not want to be named, told FIJ.
“He and others had travelled from the NAF base in Kaduna. They were camped in Abuja for about two weeks ahead of Friday, March 14, when they would leave for China for a football match.”
The deceased officer had been in active service in the Air Force for eight years. As a member of the NAF FC, he was often sidelined in suspicious circumstances whenever he was nominated for competitions, the counsin said.
“They would step him aside and select other people. But this year, he was nominated for the World Air Force competition in China.
“The controller said they should let anyone who wants to go for the competition to do so, particularly those whose performance can speak for them. Then Izuchukwu was selected as one of the best.
“We learnt that after they had been selected here in Nigeria, the Nigerian team met with other players from different African countries. After that, those from African countries will compete with other continents.
“Among the African countries, he was selected as one of the best. He’s in the team, about a few of them from Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and some other African countries, selected to represent Nigeria. They camped him in Abuja for them to move from Abuja to China last Friday.”
The cousin told FIJ that Akali spoke with his father on Sunday as well as Tuesday. “On Tuesday, he spoke with his dad around 5:30 am to 6:00 am.”
The NAF officer had told the father that he was called out for jogging that morning. However, he did not see his teammates when he came out. His father told him they might already be on the way.
He said he would call back after the morning jog and practice, but when the father didn’t hear from him, he called around 9:00 am.
“His phone rang. Nobody picked it. He called again, but nobody picked up. The third time it was switched off.”
“Then around 5:00 pm on Friday, a team of three people visited the father’s residence in Lagos. When the father asked who they were, they said they came from Ikeja but had been notified by Abuja to come and deliver the letter.”
The letter contained flowery descriptions of Akali’s courage and dedication but made no mention of how he died.
It bears the address of the headquarters of the regiment training centre (located within the air force base) in Kaduna and the signature of D Barau, Squadron Leader for Commandant, and reads:
“I wish to express my heartfelt condolences on the demise of your son NAF 16/30509 Lance Corporal Akali Izuchukwu Augustine, whose unfortunate death occurred on 11 March 2025 while on active service in Nigerian Air Force Base, Abuja. He was a courageous, dedicated, hardworking and God-fearing personnel of the Nigerian Air Force.
“On behalf of the Chief of Air Staff, officers, airmen/airwomen as well as civilian staff of Regiment Training Centre, please accept my deepest condolences. May his gentle soul rest in peace and may God grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss. Amen.”
The father’s questions about what happened to his son, the football competition and medical reports were unanswered as the three-member team claimed they had no details.
The Akali family has no additional information even till now. They are left in the dark, begging for both answers and the body of the 26-year-old officer.
“Everyone has been crying, mourning and asking questions. What do we do?
“We want the world to know that Izuchukwu is missing. The team went to China on Friday and the air force took his body to the mortuary, but we don’t even know what mortuary his body was taken to. We have not seen his corpse. No information.
“This boy has played with Senegal, for 105 minutes on the pitch. He didn’t die. He has played with Ghana, both full-time and extra time, and nothing happened to him. So to jog and do 25 minutes early in the morning is where he died?
“If not because his parents heard reports of his death and intensified efforts to call everyone they could, maybe the family would not have known up till now. We would thought he travelled already and maybe his number was unreachable as a result of that. They might have even buried him.”
Akali’s cousin said Izuchukwu was the hope of the whole family. He was the last child, with four older siblings.
“Everybody’s eyes were on him. He was a small, innocent boy. I don’t know why anyone would just look at him and murder him like that. He was full of life.
“The entire family is in serious mourning. I don’t know how his mother is going to survive the loss.”
