Former Super Eagles winger Tijani Babangida has broken his silence over the harrowing experience that claimed the life of his younger brother and that of his one year-old son earlier in 2024.
TheNewsGuru.com(TNG) reports that Babangida reflected on the pain of losing his family in tragic car accident in a documentary released on Thursday by Ajax Amsterdam, his former club.
TNG recalls that Babangida while travelling with his younger brother, Ibrahim, his wife, their son, Fadil, and a domestic staff member along the Kaduna-Zaria highway got involved in a fatal crash.
Ibrahim died on the spot while Fadil succumbed to his injuries days later.
Babangida’s wife lost an eye and required facial reconstruction surgery while the maid sustained a fractured leg. Babangida himself suffered injuries to his legs and knees.
Opening up about the incident, Babangida admitted that the pain and trauma are a permanent part of his life.
“I think I will live with this trauma for the rest of my life. It is hard to forget about it and move on when you suddenly lose your entire family,” the Babangida said.
This was Babangida’s first public statement about the accident, revealing the deep emotional toll it had on him and his wife.
“This is my first time talking about the accident because I couldn’t do it. I can’t bear looking at photos and videos of my son.
“It is even harder for my wife. She is an actress in Nigeria, famous in the northern part of the country. After being married a year, we had a baby. And suddenly, he was gone.
“And my brother, who always joined me when I travelled. For me, I only injured my legs and knees. I had to assist my wife. That’s why I came here with my wife to get proper medical treatment,” Babangida stated.
He also shared the emotional burden of breaking the devastating news to his wife, who had suffered memory loss following the accident.