Soludo Reacts After Former Nigerian Tennis Champion, Tanya Okpala Is Seen Begging On The Street

Anambra state governor, Charles Soludo, has announced the rescue of former Nigerian professional tennis player, Tanya Okpala, who was found roaming the streets aimlessly.

Naija News reports that Tanya, in a viral video on social media, was captured begging for alms on the streets of Anambra.

During a conversation with an unidentified man in the video, the tennis star, also seen nursing a wound on her left leg, stated that she is a former lawn tennis player who has been abandoned.

She mentioned that she had been labelled a prostitute by people in the area and had been asked to return to her country, but she considers herself an Igbo lady.

She, however, appealed for help, saying that she was planning to return to her village the next day to care for her daughter.

In a post via X on Monday, Soludo disclosed that Tanya is currently in the custody of the Anambra State Government.

Soludo stressed that he has directed the immediate rehabilitation and reintegration with her family.

He wrote, “Tanya Okpala (Fmr Tennis champion) is now in the custody of the Anambra State Government. She was with the Commissioner for Women Affairs when my wife spoke with her on the phone.

“My government will ensure her rehabilitation and fruitful reunion with her daughter and family.”

Tanya Okpala and her sister Katya Okpala represented Nigeria in tennis in the 1990s and are mixed race, with a mother from Belarus and a father of Igbo extraction.