Former Super Eagles winger and Ajax FC star, Tijani Babangida, has opened up on the traumatic ghastly accident that claimed the lives of his one-year-old son, Fadil, and his younger brother, Ibrahim.
The accident, which occurred on May 9, 2024, along the Kaduna–Zaria Road, had Babangida’s wife and his maid also injured, while he (Babangida) sustained injuries on his knees and legs.
Ibrahim was buried the following day, according to Islamic rites.
Recounting the ordeal in a 14-minute-long video documentary shared on the football club’s website on Thursday, December 12, 2024, the bereaved ex-footballer described the incident as a “nightmare,” saying, “It is hard to forget about it and move on when you suddenly lose your entire family. ”
He noted that it was necessary to take his wife abroad to seek adequate medical treatment, as he expressed sadness over the loss of his son.
Babangida added that it was difficult to lose his brother, also an ex-international who played for Nigeria at the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Cup winning team, and who usually travelled with him.
“This is a nightmare. 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. 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. It’s hard.
“After three months in the Netherlands, I was finally able to tell her that our child was in the car when the accident took place. She started [to] ask about his name. She can’t remember anything about him. She’s so strong that she managed to survive,” Babangida said.
The video showed Babangida meeting with his former coach Louis Van Gaal.
