Onyekachi Okonkwo was one of the stars who took Enyimba up the ladder of African soccer in 2003 and again in 2004. The People’s Elephant won Nigeria’s first CAF Champions League trophy which they also defended successfully in 2004.
In 2006, Enyimba made another attempt to lift the cup. They got to the group stage and had to contend with Orlando Pirates of South Africa. The first leg in Aba ended in a draw. The Nigerians needed a draw in the second leg to qualify for the semi finals.
The flight to South Africa suffered inclement weather and was rescheduled. When the team eventually made the trip, Okonkwo was in no mood to spare his former team. Pirates got a goal off his cleats and that was the end for Enyimba. It happened in the 30th minute.
This same midfielder had won bronze with the Super Eagles at the Egypt 2006 African Nations Cup with three other ex- Enyimba players, Vincent Enyeama, Obinna Nsofor and Obinna Nwaneri.
It was a funny tale and it did not start with Okonkwo. In 2004, Emeka Okpara came with Tunisian side Etoile Sportif Sahel in one of the group games. The former Enyimba striker silenced the Aba crowd with a fifth minute opener. It took a long while for the hosts to draw level with a Nwaneri goal. It ended 1-1.
Right back, Yusuf Mohammed, also won the CAF Champions League twice with Enyimba. In 2008, he was with El Hilal of Sudan. His old and new teams clashed in a group match. At home, the Sudanese won 3-2. The defender scored the second goal for El Hilal in the 46th minute.
Earlier in the same competition, Victor Ezeji, winner of the continental title with the People’s Elephant in 2003, played for Club Africain, Tunisia against Enyimba. The Aba leg ended 5-1 in favour of the homers. The visitors goal was scored by a Nigerian, Junior Osagie, who would later join the winners.
It was quite an interesting duel. Another Osagie, Monday, played for Enyimba and scored the third goal. Vincent Orode was one of the Nigerian trio that starred for the Tunisians in that game.
Call it the Enyimba Disease. Nigerians have a way of punishing the Aba Ngwa Boys in continental matches. When they debuted in 2002, it was former Shooting Star, Soga Sambo, that buried their dream.
Enyimba had lost the first leg of the second round match to ASEC Mimosas of Cote D’ Ivoire, 4-1. The return leg in Calabar was going Enyimba’s way, 3-0 before Sambo scored to settle it at 3-1. Aggregate scores stood at 5-4 in favour of the Ivorians.
Taofeek Oyasipe led Africa Sports, Abidjan to Aba in the 2004 edition. Enyimba had beaten the fellow West Africans at away. It was in one of the group games.
Oyasipe’s lone goal was the result of the game. Enyimba lost 1-0 at home. It was a negative record for that was the very first time the defending continental champions would lose an international match at the Enyimba Stadium.
The Ivorians continued in 2006. In yet another group match, Enyimba were doing it scoreless with ASEC in Abidjan until Emmanuel Iniobong was introduced by the hosts. In two minutes, Mimosas were two goals up. Iniobong added added salt to injury with a third goal. The Nigerians lost 3-0.
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When Orlando Pirates knocked Enyimba out in 2006, Okonkwo the scorer, was not alone. Willy Okpara who captained the Flying Eagles to the Chile ’87 FIFA Under – Championships was the Buccaneers Goalkeepers coach.
Ifeanyi Onuigbo bagged the third goal in the last minute as El Hilal defeated Enyimba 3-2 in 2008. Remember, Yusuf Mohammed got the first goal against his former club. There was a third Nigerian in the Sudanese team, Kelechi Osunwa.
Emeka Okpara arrived with three other Nigerians when Etoile of Tunisia faced Enyimba in the second leg of the 2004 finals.
Ogochukwu Obiakor who single handedly destroyed Julius Berger in the last Africa Winners Cup in 2003 was there as well as Austin Ejide and Onyekachi Nwoha.
All players faced Enyimba five times in 2004. They lost in the Super Cup finals, drew in Aba, won in Tunisia twice and lost in Abuja. In the 2-1 loss in Abuja, Obiakor and Okpara were rampaging like wounded lions.
In 2008, Cotton Sport of Garoua, Cameroon hammered Enyimba 3-0 at away in their last group match. Goalkeeper, Rabiu Saminou, was sent off in the 14th minute and replaced by Halim Sanni.The Elephants had won the first leg at home 2-0.
Cotton Sport had a Nigerian, Joseph Thompson ( Big Joe), in their line up. Stephen Worgu who topped the competition’s Scorers Chart with 13 goals could not find the net that day and was unable to score again after that, even in the semis against Al Ahly of Egypt.
Yusuf Mohammed came again with Al Hilal in 2011. He remained on the bench with fellow countryman, Ene Edet Otudor. The result was 2-2 in Aba.
It was the turn of Stanley Ohawuchi in 2016. He came with Zamalek of Egypt. The same player returned in 2017 with the same team, against Enugu Rangers. The Flying Antelopes lost 4-1 in Cairo. Guess who scored the first goal in the 8th minute? Ohawuchi.