Nigerian former professional footballer, Emmanuel Ebiede, has died after a protracted illness.
Ebiede, who played as an attacking midfielder, died at the age of 47 on Friday, April 14, at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) from hepatomegaly complications.
Hepatomegaly is the enlargement of the liver beyond its normal size.
The news of Emmanuel Ebiede’s passing was confirmed by journalist China Acheru, who is based in Port Harcourt, where Ebiede was receiving treatment.
“Good bye, Emmanuel Ebiede. Your journey on earth has ended,” Acheru posted on his Twitter handle.
Emmanuel Ebiede’s passing comes a few weeks after his sister, Joy, raised alarm about his health.
Recall that earlier in the month, Ebiedi’s sister, Joy, revealed in a chat with Punch after photos of Ebiede with a protruding stomach surfaced on social media that he had been diagnosed with Hepatitis B.
“He is in BMH hospital in Port Harcourt but can’t talk properly now. He’s been here (hospital) since Friday, I came in on Saturday from Bayelsa State to look after him,” Joy said.
“His daughter called me that Daddy (Ebiede) was not feeling fine. So, I got here and saw his situation. It was his club members that rushed him to the hospital. Initially, it was malaria and typhoid, but his stomach got swollen.
“He underwent some tests to detect the cause of the swollen stomach. The test results diagnosed Hepatitis B. He’s not stooling freely, so I don’t know if that’s the cause of the swollen stomach.” She said.
