Bendel Insurance Football Club has officially broken its silence on the whereabouts of goalkeeper Joshua Baba, less than a day after Platinum News reported on the player’s mysterious absence from the team.
In a statement released by the club, Bendel Insurance through its Director of Media and Communication, Kehinde Osagede, confirmed that Baba has been declared AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave) after failing to return to the team following the expiration of an approved recovery period.
The development provides the first official explanation surrounding the goalkeeper’s prolonged absence, following comments by Bendel Insurance head coach Kennedy Boboye, who had earlier told Platinum News that he did not know Baba’s whereabouts.
Read Also: Akpan Emmanuel Disappearance: Bendel Insurance FC Reacts
“It is the same way now; we don’t know where Baba (Joshua) is,” Boboye was quoted as saying.
“I cannot wait for him or be thinking about him when I have other players, and I have the league to go on with,” the coach added.
Club confirms prolonged absence
According to Bendel Insurance, Baba sustained a knock during the club’s NPFL fixture against Warri Wolves in Benin on August 30, 2026.
The club said the goalkeeper was subsequently granted a two-week recovery period and travelled to Plateau State to visit his family. He was expected to return to Benin and resume training in mid-September.
However, the club says Baba did not return after the approved period and has remained away without authorisation.
Bendel Insurance also stated that repeated attempts to establish contact with the player and determine his whereabouts were unsuccessful.
The club said both the head coach and team manager confirmed that Baba had neither returned to duty nor obtained permission to extend his absence.
Contract status clarified
The statement also puts to rest questions surrounding Baba’s status at the club, with Bendel Insurance confirming that the goalkeeper remains under contract until the end of 2027.
Read Also: Boboye Breaks Silence on Akpan, Baba’s Mysterious Absence
The club said his continued absence therefore constitutes a disciplinary matter and that he remains bound by the obligations contained in his contract, as well as applicable NPFL and Nigeria Football Federation regulations.
Bendel Insurance said it would take “all necessary disciplinary and administrative measures” against the player in accordance with the relevant rules.
The club has also formally brought the matter before the NPFL and NFF, asking both bodies to take note of Baba’s status and the circumstances surrounding his unauthorised absence.
Platinum News report preceded official clarification
Bendel Insurance’s official clarification came approximately 16 hours after Platinum News published Boboye’s comments concerning the goalkeeper’s unexplained absence.
While the club’s statement does not say that the Platinum News report prompted its response, the sequence of events has now provided greater clarity on a situation that had remained unexplained.
What initially emerged as a mystery surrounding Baba’s whereabouts has now been officially described by his club as an unauthorised absence following the expiration of his recovery leave.
Platinum News’ report, therefore, brought public attention to a situation that Bendel Insurance has now formally addressed, establishing that the goalkeeper’s absence was not due to an officially sanctioned extension of his leave.
For now, the club says Baba remains under contract and that disciplinary and administrative steps will follow in line with the applicable regulations.