A machinist from Kwara State, Ibrahim Abdullahi, tells TEMITOPE ADETUNJI how he survived a motor accident that left two people dead in Akure on April 10 and how the injuries he sustained have changed his life
It was reported that you were one of the survivors of the fatal auto crash that left two people dead along Ijora Road in Akure on Easter Monday. How true is that?
Yes, it is very true. My name is Ibrahim Abdullahi. I am 58 years old. I am from Ilorin, Kwara State. I repair generators. I live in Akure, Ondo State, and I am a Muslim.
Can you describe the events leading up to the accident?
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I had an accident on April 10 this year, which happened to be Easter Monday. I was on my way to work. I mounted a motorcycle, though the rider was someone in the same community who just decided to do a side hustle that day so that he could use the money to buy fuel. So he carried me and his pregnant wife.
So, there was a particular guy rumoured to be an Internet fraudster. He had been bashing cars from behind before reaching where we were and we didn’t know. It was said that some people were chasing him, we were the last people he hit. We tumbled and I fell into a gutter. I hit my stomach on an object in the process.
How fatal was the incident?
It was a tragic accident because the rider died a few days later. In fact, the legs of his wife were amputated and she lost her pregnancy too. My leg was broken in the accident, and I was referred to the Federal Medical Centre in Owo, where it was discovered that I had internal bleeding affecting my system.
Did you at any point feel you would not survive the impact of the crash?
Yes because I didn’t know what happened until I woke up in the hospital. However, it was when I woke up in the hospital that I could remember all that happened. Seeing my friends and family who surrounded me was a message that I am loved.
How did your family know that you were involved in an accident?
When the accident happened, my phone and automated teller machine card were stolen. It was people who came to the hospital and saw me among other victims who called my wife, children, and family to inform them that I was one of the people involved in the accident. They wouldn’t have been able to reach my wife and children if I were the only person involved in that accident because my phone had been stolen.
Were you taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, immediately after the incident?
Initially, I and other victims were taken to a particular hospital, a state hospital in Akure whose name I can’t remember, before I was transferred to Owo. I suffered a fracture in two places.
Did you suffer fractures in your two legs?
No, it was the right leg that was affected. The left leg had no injury. It was when we got to the state hospital in Akure they discovered that I had internal bleeding, blood was said to have blocked a particular part of my stomach which resulted in my inability to breathe. I couldn’t breathe at all; I couldn’t talk as well such that I felt I was about to die. So, I was moved from the state hospital to another hospital in Oke-Ijebu, Akure. It was that hospital that helped me to treat my leg and attached a rod to the affected parts.
After that, an emergency ambulance came to pick me up and took me to FMC, Owo. So I have been at FMC up till this moment. It was at the FMC that they detected that I couldn’t breathe anymore and my stomach was swollen. Later, I couldn’t urinate as the injuries almost affected my kidney, and my private part was swollen. So at the FMC, I was operated on.
How much has been spent so far on your treatment?
So far, we’ve spent so much, over N6m. I underwent surgery and the drugs they gave me were expensive. I paid to receive oxygen at the FMC, and I also paid to receive oxygen in the other hospitals because I could not breathe and that was what sustained me till I got to FMC. My stomach was operated on at FMC and that was when I was able to urinate properly.
How do you feel seeing yourself in such a situation?
I almost lost faith at one point such that I burst into tears. Some people in the hospital even told me that it was better for me to die than to be alive. I begged them to go and throw me away into the bush.
Why?
I was fed up and felt so emotional about the situation, thinking of how to raise money and whether I would survive; those are the thoughts running through my mind. It was a critical case, and the doctors tried their best. I cried so much that some people who saw my case sympathised with me and encouraged me. I am blessed to have a good wife who stayed with me all through; it was my wife and family that rallied around me first from the beginning of the accident. They were called and they, including my friends and neighbours, came around.
How did you raise money for your treatment?
I did that through the help of family and friends. They raised and contributed what they could. My wife put a call through to a lot of people and begged them to lend us some money for the surgical operation and all. As a matter of fact, we are currently financially indebted to people.
What does your wife do for a living?
She is a trader. I have grown-up children. One attends the University of Ilorin, and another one is married with two kids. In every situation we find ourselves in, let’s be grateful. It is not an easy experience but I am grateful to God that at least, I am alive. Some of the victims of the accident did not make it; they were not given a second chance but I am grateful to God for giving me a second chance.
I have a feeling that God has a better plan for me and wants me to eat the fruit of my labour and that is why I am still alive; grace kept me. It’s been six months since I was taken to the FMC. My house has been locked since the incident happened, and my wife and another child of mine have been the ones taking care of me.
Why are you still in the hospital?
I have recovered but not totally because I still feel pain. The hospital discharged me but we can’t leave until we settle the bills. Also, I still get daily treatment.
How much do you owe the hospital?
We owe the hospital N560,000 as we speak.
Has the hospital worker been supportive?
They’ve been nice and caring and never treated me badly.
How much do you need currently?
Remember I told you we were in debt as well; we owe people who lent us some money for the operation. We buy drugs weekly and daily. We will need N560,000 to sort out the hospital bills, and we would appreciate other forms of support too because we need to pay back the money we borrowed. As soon as we sort out the hospital bills, the people who lent us money will be expecting us to pay them back their money. If I want to be sincere, people have been supporting us with the little they can. Some sent us N20,000 or N10,000, and most times, we use the money for feeding, but it’s still not enough to cover the hospital bills. We are appealing to Nigerians to help us get out of this mess as this situation has left us penniless.
Do you know the whereabouts of the driver of the vehicle that knocked you and others down?
I heard that he was caught that same day and was killed by some boys in the area. His car was set ablaze.
You mentioned that you still felt pain. Does that mean you have not fully recovered?
Yes, to an extent I have recovered. I pray that everything I lost will be replaced by God’s grace. I have faced many challenges in my recovery process. I had to abandon my work for now until I was healthy enough. My wife left her trade and has been with me. We have had serious financial challenges too because any money sent to us was used to buy drugs. We have spent a lot. My wife sold everything in her shop, and one of my daughters borrowed money from the cooperative at her place of work too. We are now penniless and only God is our hope.
The incident also affected me mentally but once there is life, there is hope. I will advise others facing similar challenges not to lose hope, but to keep trusting in God, and to be grateful to God for being a survivor because God has a purpose for them and that is why they are alive.
Can you share any moments of hope or inspiration that you’ve experienced during your recovery journey?
I have seen people whose medical condition was not up to mine but ended up dead. That experience kept my faith and hope so strong that I had a purpose to fulfill.
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