By Sharon Akhigbe
Bendel Insurance head coach Kennedy Boboye has broken his silence on the absence of two players whose continued unavailability has raised questions among supporters of the Benin Arsenals — midfielder Emmanuel Akpan and goalkeeper Joshua Baba.
Speaking at the post-match press conference after Bendel Insurance’s emphatic 4-1 victory over Barau FC on Sunday, October 4, Boboye was asked directly about Akpan, a player who was influential for the club last season but has yet to feature in any of Insurance’s seven matches in the 2026/27 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) campaign.
The coach’s response was blunt:
“I don’t know where he is o, me I don’t know where he is. Anywhere he has gone to, may God be with him.”
Boboye explained that Akpan had previously left the club without communicating with the team before being brought back.
“He left before the first time, they brought him back, and I was angry for him leaving without communicating with anyone,” the coach said.
According to Boboye, he subsequently made it clear to the young midfielder that seeking a better opportunity was understandable, but communication with the club was important.
“They brought him back, and I said okay, he is a young boy, everybody needs greener pastures, but if you want to go, let us know.”
But Akpan is not the only Bendel Insurance player whose absence has become a talking point.
Boboye also revealed that goalkeeper Joshua Baba, who started Insurance’s opening league fixture of the season against Warri Wolves, is currently unavailable and that the club does not know his whereabouts either.
“It is the same way now; we don’t know where Baba (Joshua) is,” Boboye stated.
The coach, however, insisted that the absence of either player would not distract him from the task at hand as the season progresses.
“I cannot wait for him or be thinking about him when I have other players, and I have the league to go on with,” he said.
On Akpan, Boboye added that if the midfielder had gone elsewhere in search of an opportunity, he wished him well.
“So if he has gone anywhere as a trial, may God be with him and I pray he succeeds there.”
Baba’s absence is particularly notable given that the young goalkeeper started Bendel Insurance’s opening-day 2-1 victory over Warri Wolves.
The two players’ continued absence now adds another layer of intrigue around the Benin Arsenals, who appear determined to move forward with the players available to Boboye.
And with seven matches already played, the questions from the Insurance faithful remain: Where are Emmanuel Akpan and Joshua Baba — and when will either player return to the Bendel Insurance fold?
Bendel Insurance, meanwhile, will look to build on their impressive 4-1 victory over Barau FC, a result that ended Barau’s unbeaten start to the campaign. They’ll play against Sporting Lagos at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos, in their matchday 8 fixture.