Ekpo left for Gabon to join Shell. In the 1991 Africa Winners Cup, the Gabonese were drawn against Stationery Stores in the first round. In the Libreville first leg, he scored the first goal in Stores 2-0 defeat. The Adebajo Babes needed to score three goals without conceding any in Lagos if they wished to advance.
It was a barren first half. All hope seemed lost until Adebayo Shobayo grabbed a goal for the Flaming Flamingoes in the 47th minute. The crowd roared back to life, expecting at least one more goal to draw level. It did not happen. In the next 20 minutes, Ekpo shook the net for Shell’s equalizer. It ended 1-1 and Stores were out.
Ekpo made it a bad day for Lagosians. It meant so much to him because as a professional, he was able to prove to the Gabonese that in soccer, business comes first.
He said: ” Stores supporters were coming to my hotel room before the match asking me not to send their darling team out. Shell coaches were worried. But I am a professional. It is one of those things. I had no doubt that I was capable of doing what I was being paid for.”
Ekpo was just one out of many Nigerian players who had to deal deadly blows on compatriots while playing for teams from other countries. It did not begin with him and will not end until the end of the world.
Henry Nwosu came with ASEC Mimosas in the 1988 WAFU Cup against his former club, New Nigerian Bank. The Bankers, winners of the competition twice, 1983 and 1984 respectively, were running away with a 1-0 when Nwosu scored for the Abidjan team. It was a1-1 draw.
In 1990, Rashidi Yekini, was promised thousands of dollars by his Ivorian club, Africa Sports, just before they confronted Iwuanyanwu in a CAF Champions League duel. The first leg was taken to Seguela. Rashidi scored in the 18th minute. It took Ifeanyi Aghenu’s last minute goal to keep the result at 1-1.
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In the Benin second leg, Yekini scored again. And the goal came in the 18th minute. Iwuanyanwu fought the battle of their lives to sail through 3-2.
It became worse in 1993. Julius Berger were one leg away from winning the last edition of the Africa Winners Cup in 1993. They had beaten Etoile Sportif, Tunisia 2-0 in the first leg of the finals decided in Abeokuta. It looked like the Cup would come to Nigeria for the fourth time.
In Tunis, a Nigerian, Ogochukwu Obiakor, became the first player to score a hat-trick in a CAF grand finale. His goals cancelled all the gains made by Berger. The Tunisians won the trophy. Obiakor almost tried to do it against Enyimba in the 2004 CAF Champions League. It did not work.
Enyimba have their story to tell. In their CAF Champions League debut in 2002, Soga Sambo, playing for ASEC sent them out in the early rounds. The first leg in Abidjan ended 4-1 in favour of the hosts. The second leg was taken to Calabar. With a 3-0 advantage, everything fell in place. Then Sambo struck. Enyimba 3 ASEC1. End of the road for the Peoples Elephant.
In 2004, Enyimba battered Africa Sports 3-0 in Abidjan in one of the group games of the CAF Champions League. Taofeek Oyasipe emerged from the blues to score for the Ivorians who won 1-0 in Aba. That was the first time Enyimba would lose an international match at home.
In the same competition, Emeka Okpara, of Etoile Sahel scored in Aba [5th minute]. Enyimba were just lucky make it 1-1, after his team had won1-0 in Tunis. He would come again in the 2004 finals with Obiakor and keeper Austin Ejide. They did not succeed. Enyimba lifted the trophy for the second time, in Abuja.
Emmanuel Iniobong came in as a substitute for ASEC against Enyimba in the 2006 CAF Champions League. Scores stood at 0-0. He scored after two minutes. At the end, Enyimba were given a 3-0 drubbing.
In the last group match, Onyekachi Okonkwo, a member of the Enyimba CAF Champions League winning squads of 2003 and 2004, came with Orlando Pirates of South Africa. The goalkeeper trainer of the Buccaneers was another Nigerian, Willy Okpara, who had won the Cup with the South Africans in 1995.
Enyimba needed a draw in South Africa to qualify for the semi finals. They struggled and fought. The killer goal came from their former player, Okonkwo. The Aba Ngwa team lost 1-0 and crashed out.
