Shooting Stars have begun the search for a new head coach following the departure of Nurudeen Aweroro, with former Rangers coach Imama Amapakabo reportedly emerging as one of the leading candidates for the vacant position.
The Oluyole Warriors are looking for a replacement for Nurudeen Aweroro, who was allowed to leave earlier this week despite guiding the club to a third-place finish last season and securing continental football for the first time in 27 years.
With the new NPFL season approaching and Shooting Stars preparing for the additional demands of African competition, experience has become an important factor in the club’s search.
Amapakabo fits that profile but his current situation at Abia Warriors is far from straightforward.
Amapakabo has already endured a difficult spell at Abia Warriors
Amapakabo was suspended by Abia Warriors towards the end of last season after the club suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Kun Khalifat in a Matchday 37 Oriental Derby.
Goalkeeper coach Alloy Agu Shorunmu was subsequently placed in interim charge as Abia Warriors finished their campaign amid uncertainty over the coach’s future.
The situation appeared to raise questions over whether Amapakabo would remain in charge going into the new season.
Those doubts were eventually put to rest in July when Abia Warriors confirmed that the 57-year-old had returned to work.
Executive Chairman John Obuh said the disagreement that led to the suspension had been resolved and that Amapakabo had resumed his duties weeks earlier.
“Imama has resumed duties. He returned to his duty post weeks ago. Right now, he’s preparing the club for the 2026/2027 season,” Obuh said.
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The chairman also suggested that the club viewed the episode as an internal disagreement rather than a reason to abandon their relationship with the coach.
“We’re a club driven by the spirit of continuity. Yes, there are bound to be disagreements, even in a family. Such issues are always resolved so the family can move forward.”
Amapakabo was therefore back in charge and working on preparations for the new season, with Abia Warriors entrusting him and his technical staff with responsibility for developing the club’s pre-season programme and that makes any approach from Shooting Stars particularly intriguing.
According to NPFL analyst Mike the Pundit, Shooting Stars have identified Amapakabo as a potential successor to Aweroro.
The timing is notable because the coach had only recently returned from his suspension at Abia Warriors and appeared to have been given a fresh opportunity to continue his work in Umuahia.
Shooting Stars would therefore have to negotiate his release if they decide to pursue the former Rangers coach seriously.
Amapakabo’s credentials explain why he has emerged as an option. He guided Enugu Rangers to the NPFL title in 2016, ending the club’s 32-year wait for the championship, and has remained one of the more experienced Nigerian coaches in the domestic game.
He has also worked with the Super Eagles as an assistant coach and previously managed Nigeria’s U-23 side. At Abia Warriors, he has been in charge since 2024 and guided the club to a seventh-place finish last season.
That combination of domestic experience, continental exposure and knowledge of Nigerian football could appeal to Shooting Stars as they prepare for a campaign that will stretch the squad and coaching staff across multiple competitions.
But the Abia Warriors situation raises questions
The bigger question is whether Amapakabo is genuinely available. As recently as July, Abia Warriors were publicly insisting that the coach remained part of their plans.
The club’s leadership spoke about continuity, while Amapakabo was handed responsibility for planning the team’s pre-season preparations.
That followed a suspension that had already exposed tensions between the coach and the club’s management.
Although the matter was described as resolved, the fact that the relationship had reached the point of a suspension inevitably adds another layer to any discussion about his future.
Shooting Stars would need to establish whether Abia Warriors are prepared to release him and, perhaps more importantly, whether Amapakabo himself is interested in leaving a club that had only recently restored him to his position.
Salisu Yusuf provides another option
If a deal for Amapakabo proves difficult, Shooting Stars reportedly have another experienced coach in their sights.
Like Amapakabo, Yusuf has extensive experience of Nigerian football and the national-team environment, making him a potentially attractive candidate for a club that must prepare for both domestic and continental competition.
Shooting Stars’ decision to part ways with Aweroro came despite the coach delivering a third-place finish and ending the club’s long wait for continental football.
Aweroro later explained that the club’s concern was his ability to cope with the demands of playing in both the NPFL and Africa.
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The next coach will inherit a team expected to compete at the top end of the domestic table while also navigating the demands of continental football for the first time in 27 years.
Amapakabo has the experience to handle that challenge. The complication is that, for now, he remains an Abia Warriors coach who only recently returned to his post after a suspension.
