‘I’ll live with this trauma all my life’ — Tijjani Babangida opens up on losing family in car accident

Tijjani Babangida, former Super Eagles winger, has opened up on losing his family in a car accident that happened in early 2024. 

The ex-footballer spoke in an emotional documentary released by Ajax Amsterdam, his former club, on Thursday.

On May 9, Babangida was travelling with Ibrahim, his younger brother, alongside his wife, his son, and his maid when the car accident occurred along the Kaduna-Zaria highway.

Ibrahim was said to have died on the spot. Fadil, Babangida’s one-year son, succumbed to the injuries from the crash a few days later. The wife lost an eye and had to undergo face reconstruction surgery, and the maid also fractured a leg.

Speaking on the incident, Babangida said he “will live with this trauma for the rest of my life”.

He said he could not “bear looking at photos and videos of my son” and his wife struggles to remember the name or “anything” about the boy.

“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 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.

“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 starting [to] ask about his name. She can’t remember anything about him.”

In the documentary, Babangida, who was in the books of Ajax for seven years, spoke with Luis Van Gaal and other associates in the Netherlands.