The Eaglet That Will Never Fly Again: Friday Njengo Is Buried

The remains of 17-year-old Friday Njengo, a Golden Eaglets’ defender, were committed to mother earth in his hometown, Kaltungo, Gombe State on November 23, 2013, Saturday.

The journey began on Friday with officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and some family members taking possession of the corpse from the National Hospital, Abuja.

A number of NFF officials, as well as Eaglets’ Head Coach Manu Garba attended the ceremony in Kaltungo.

After a brief stop at the house of late Njengo’s uncle, Mr. Mikah Kumat, Idayan Kaltungo, the delegation headed to the palace of the Emir of Kaltungo, Eng.Saleh Mohammed, with the Chairman of Kaltungo local government having joined the train. The Emir, who is also the Vice Chairman of the Gombe State Council of Chiefs, was actually at the National Hospital, Abuja to see the player on his sick bed before his demise.

It was wailing and tears all through as the boy’s remains were committed to mother earth later in the day.

Friday Njengo passed away in hospital in Abuja on November 19, 2013. He was a regular in the Eaglets’ squad before an auto accident on February 3, 2013, on his way to Calabar for the team’s first phase of final camping ahead of the 2013 African U-17 Championship in Morocco.

The late Eaglet attended various schools in Bauchi, Kaduna and Kaltungo, and was a member of the Yarma Light Football Academy before his call to the U-17 National Team.

He is survived by his mother, three sisters and two brothers.