Former Super Eagles winger Tijjani Babangida has opened up about the devastating loss of his family in a car accident that occurred earlier this year.
The emotional revelation was made in a documentary released on Thursday by Ajax Amsterdam, the club where Babangida played for seven years.
The tragic accident took place on May 9, 2024, along the Kaduna-Zaria highway while Babangida was traveling with his younger brother, Ibrahim, his wife, one-year-old son Fadil, and their maid.
Ibrahim died instantly at the crash site, 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 leg and knee injuries.
In the documentary, Babangida expressed the enduring trauma the incident has caused him and his wife.
“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,” Babangida said.
He shared the emotional toll of losing his son, admitting he could not bear to look at his photos or videos. His wife, a prominent actress in northern Nigeria, continues to struggle with memory loss concerning their late child.
“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,” Babangida said. “For my wife, it is even harder. After being married for a year, we had a baby, and suddenly, he was gone.”
Babangida also recounted how he delayed telling his wife about their son’s death until months after the accident, explaining that she had no recollection of the boy.
“She started asking about his name. She can’t remember anything about him,” he added.
In the documentary, Babangida reflected on the loss while in conversation with Louis Van Gaal, his former manager, and other associates in the Netherlands, where he had taken his wife for medical treatment.
