Heartland FC players and officials have safely returned to Owerri, Imo State, following a severe accident on their way to Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, for the Ifeanyi Ekwueme TICO/SELECT Pre-season Tournament on Friday.
The club confirmed that the accident occurred near Umunna, Okigwe, Imo State, with no fatalities reported.
Some injured players and officials received first-aid treatment at a nearby facility and will continue their recovery in Owerri, according to the club’s spokesperson, Tunde Liadi.
“We will release another statement on the incident as soon as I receive further instructions. Right now, we are on our way to Owerri. We had three buses on the journey, and one of them was involved in the accident. We have managed to use the other two buses to convey everyone to Owerri.
“Heartland FC’s vehicle was involved in an accident en route to Abakaliki for the Ifeanyi Ekwueme TICO/SELECT Pre-season Tournament,” the club said in their initial statement.
“The accident happened at Umunna, near Okigwe, still within Imo State. Although no one was killed, some players and officials sustained injuries and have been taken to the hospital,” Liadi told our correspondent.
The club’s vehicle, which was heavily damaged, collided with a stationary vehicle left beside the road while trying to avoid an oncoming vehicle. The stationary vehicle had reportedly been involved in another accident.
Heartland were relegated to the Nigeria National League for the third time in their history after losing 4-1 to Remo Stars during an NPFL match-day 36 game in Ikenne in June. They returned to the second tier just one season after being promoted to the top flight.
Not long ago, Ex-international and FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning coach Emmanuel Amuneke was named as the new coach of the club ahead of the 2024/25 season.