According to a newspaper report in Nigeria, Canadian Olympic gold medalist, Daniel Igali narrowly escaped death on the weekend, as he was attacked, robbed and stabbed in his native home in Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
The report said Igali was atacked by armed bandits in Yenagoa four days after his return to Nigeria from his base in Burnaby, B.C. The armed bandits stormed his house Sarturday night and carted away his properties and cash.
In an telephone interview with Daily Sunsport from Yenagoa, Igali comfirmed the shocking encounter.
"My life was in danger," Igali said. "I would have been killed. I am no longer safe in Bayelsa State. They threatened to waste me. "I was stabbed at the back of my neck and beaten up with the butts of their guns. They collected everything from me --phones, laptops and cash."
Igali told the Nigerian paper the bandits initiallly told him, "If you give us everything we won't do anything…
"There are about seven apartments in my house, but they singled out my apartment alone for what they did. Actually, I don't know what is happening."
Igali told the paper that though his international status is a source of public relations tool for Bayelsa State, the state does not provide him with any form of security.
"I reported the incident to the police and (up to Tuesday) nothing has been done. It was only on Tuesday night, that three mobile policemen came around and went back."
The paper said it contacted local police and was told "Yes, you know this thing (investigation) takes time.
It was two months ago that Igali, in his hometown of Eniwari, opened the Maureen Matheny Academy, a school channeled to combine sports with academics, the first of its kind in the entire Niger Delta Region.