MEET FRANK OSHANUGOR
By Brown Osaro
A younger brother to the Edo State Boxing Head Coach, Mr. Lucky Chinyere Oshanugor has been attacked by unknown assailants barely four months after the Coach’s wife was similarly assaulted.
Coach Oshanugor’s younger brother Lawrence Chinyere Oshanugor was reportedly attacked at his residence on Irowa Street, Benin-City in the late night hours of Friday (17th May, 2024).
Reliable sources in the neighborhood said the attackers had come in a 14-seater commercial bus painted in Delta State blue and white colours. The vehicle’s plate number could not easily be recognized as it was night.
According to one of our sources, Lawrence Chinyere Oshanugor; a graduate of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma had just arrived the gate of his residence from an evening outing when the attackers pounced on him. They were suspected to have trailed his movement from a particular point without his knowledge.
The attackers numbering about five, were said to have alighted from the commercial bus in a wild manner that sent shivers to Lawrence. As they were coming close to him, he made a decoy and attempted jumping through a block fence into another compound. Though he escaped alive, yet he sustained injuries on his hand and other parts of the body as the assailants had attacked him with some dangerous weapons.
It was gathered that the attack on Lawrence was the third in the series of attack on the Head Coach’s family. On October 31, 2023 the Coach’s wife Mrs. Success Oshanugor was reportedly assaulted physically and left with injuries by unidentified persons who invaded their residence. On 16th January, 2024 their Benin-City residence was again besieged by people suspected to be angry youths who were said to be searching for the Head Couch, believed to be behind some clandestine training for potential gays in the Edo State capital.
Atlanticnewsonline investigation in Benin-City had revealed that the angry youths vehemently resisted some subtle moves by young boys suspected to be members of an illegal organization known as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) to woo some innocent youths into the group.
As at press time, effort to reach the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in charge of Edo State Police Command, Chidi Nwabuzor, a Superintendent of Police, to confirm the incident; failed as his mobile phone could not connect when repeated calls were made to his line.
Meanwhile, Atlanticnewsonline has not been able to ascertain if the Head Coach actually has anything to do with LGBTQ. He had travelled to Canada for the 2023 edition of the Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament which held last October in Calgary, Alberta Canada. It is not clear if he has returned to Nigeria after the event. Those who attacked his residence earlier, may have suspected that he was back to the country.
The Head Couch’s family has been under attack ostensibly due to what some sources regard as envy following the huge success his team made at the 2023 National Youths Games which held in Asaba, Delta State prior to the Canada tournament. Lucky Chinyere Oshanugor was said to have become more popular in Edo State for the laurels attracted at the Asaba event. Some elements were said to have become quite unhappy with his success and have chosen to smear his personality for reasons best known to them.
A source revealed that one of such traducers of the Boxing hero is one Oseni Shaibu suspected to be the brain behind the series of attack on the Coach’s family. It was disclosed that Shaibu’s anger against the Coach may have stemmed from the Coach’s disassociation with him. Both of them were suspected to be partners in the gay parlance some years ago until the Coach deliberately disengaged and opted to go into real marriage.
The Coach’s decision to abandon the gay culture may have been due to Nigeria’s government strong aversion against lesbianism and gay culture and its overwhelming determination to officially prosecute anyone who engages it.
