Former Super Eagles defender begins funeral rites with service of songs ahead of burial.
Former Super Eagles defender and internationally respected football director Michael Emenalo is preparing to lay his late mother, Ezinne Jane Nwanyinnaya Ogbonnaya Emenalo (née Agbaeze), to rest on Saturday, January 17, 2026, in her hometown of Ufuajuru Amaoji, Okoko Item, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria.
The funeral rites began on Friday, January 16, 2026, with a Service of Songs conducted by St. Peter’s Methodist Church at the late matriarch’s residence in Umungasi, Aba, Abia State. The event drew family, friends and members of the church community who gathered to celebrate her life and offer prayers ahead of tomorrow’s burial.
According to Emenalo, the remains will be transferred from St. Francis Mortuary in Aba to her hometown, where she will lie in state before the burial service. Clergymen from St. Peter’s Methodist Church, Riverside Circuit, Aba, are scheduled to conduct the burial ceremony at LG Primary School, Okoko Item on Saturday, after which the late Ezinne Emenalo will be laid to rest in her ancestral home.
A former Super Eagles defender and notable figure in global football including roles as sports director and coach. Emenalo is widely respected for his contributions both on the field and in the technical areas of top professional clubs abroad.
Yet, on this solemn weekend, the focus remains deeply personal as he honours his mother’s memory through traditional and Christian funeral rites in southeastern Nigeria.
Following the burial service, the Emenalo family will host a reception at LG Primary School in Okoko Item, where family members, friends and associates will continue to pay tribute to the late matriarch’s legacy.
This event highlights not only the deep cultural importance of family and tradition in Nigerian communities but also the human side of sports icons whose achievements on the world stage are rooted in strong family foundations. Stay with Hot Sports Scoops for further updates from the burial tomorrow and reflections from the Nigerian football community.