The Newcastle striker cut short his pre-season plans to
fly home to Nigeria last night. Martins’ mother Alhaja, 62, died of
shock in her car after trying to escape a petrol tanker that caught
fire near her Lagos apartment.
Brother Biola said: “Oba was closer to our mother than
anyone else in the family. "He just wanted to get on the plane and
find out for himself that our mother is truly no more. “He’s still
in shock and disbelief and feels terribly down. Oba always
consulted her first in any decision to do with his career. “Our
mother stood by him when everyone else condemned his decision to
dump school in pursuit of an unpredictable future in football. “He
once got himself into trouble for choosing to be with her at a time
she was ill instead of playing in an international friendly with
Nigeria.”
Martins, 23, will skip tomorrow’s friendly against
Doncaster and could miss Toon’s Majorca training camp next week —
making him a fitness doubt for the start of the Premier League
season next month. Alhaja rallied family and friends to escape the
scene at around 3am yesterday but collapsed as she tried to move
her car.
She had been set to move to Tyneside permanently in
September. Martins’ cousin Muftau Balogun, who witnessed the
incident, said: “Oba called the moment he heard and cried
uncontrollably.”
Martins was involved in a car hijacking two years ago
when masked gunmen shot at him and a friend in Lagos. A Newcastle
spokesman said: “Oba has flown back to Nigeria on compassionate
grounds to be with his family at what is a very sad time for them.
“Everyone at the club extends their greatest sympathies to Oba and
his relatives.”
