Many thought he would simply fade away with life following a brutal attack from faceless thugs that left his two limbs severed. However, nearly a year afterwards, the victim, Habibu Abubakar, an undergraduate of Modern European Languages and Linguistics, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) is upbeat and ready to return to class to complete his studies. EMELIFE UCHENNA, a 300-LEVEL student of LITERATURE IN ENGLISH reports:
He is an epitome of resilience with a never-say-die disposition. Hardly will anybody in his shoes want to challenge life to another battle; but Habibu Abubakar is ready to try again.
As a 200-Level student of Modern European Languages and Linguistics at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS), Abubakar was hopeful of an assured future. But he was oblivious of the danger fate had laid on his path.
Abubakar, who was then the class representative for his set, was attacked by unknown persons in April last year at Mana area of the metropolis. He was relaxing with a friend after a stressful day. His friend had left an hour before the attack to answer his father’s call.
Abubakar struggled to wrest himself free of his assailants, but they overwhelmed him and made away with his motorcycle and other valuables after severing his two hands. It was at around 2am. With no one in sight, all his cries for help were futile.
After the attack, UDUS campus erupted in anger. Some feared that the victim might suffer depression or even attempt suicide. But 10 months after, Abubakar, though still recovering, says he is ready to rejoin his course mates.
The victim hosted CAMPUSLIFE correspondent who, along with friends and course mates, visited him in his home in Nakasari Local Government Area, Sokoto State.
His visitors who didn’t know what to expect were dazzled by Abubakar’s characteristic liveliness.
Abubakar told CAMPUSLIFE that he now had prosthetics which would allow him cope with lectures and exams, thanks to the Sokoto State Government that paid for his medical treatment. Nonetheless, he confessed he has not yet adapted to the device.
“God willing, I have prosthetic hands; but, truthfully, I don’t like going out with it, Abubakar told CAMPUSLIFE.
He said he was yet to inform the school management of his decision, but would do so this semester.
“I trust the management however to find a comfortable way of learning for me,” he pleaded.
“It is in their (management) hands. I have made up my mind already to go back to school. The past is past, and I must move on. But my resumption, my learning and every other thing will all be determined by the management. Whatever conclusion we reach, so long as I resume my studies, it is fine by me,” he added.
He thanked the Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal for paying for his treatment.
“I do not know exactly how much has been spent so far. However, one thing I know is that the prosthetic hands cost about N14 million which was sponsored by government. The governor himself checks on me regularly and his family has been supportive,” he said.
For a man ‘cut to half’ in his mind, Abubakar would definitely be bitter against those who thought they had altered his fate. He is philosophical about his predicament. Should he have the opportunity to meet his assailants eye to eye, he said he would plead for forgiveness on their behalf, adding that he has left everything to God.
He said: “I have accepted it in good fate already. I believe that God is the one who has destined it so. Mind you, what happened has done nothing to my drive for education. I will go back to school this year. The Governor (Wammako) has also pledged to take care of my education. I recently sent him a message of my readiness to go back to school.
“If I see my attackers today, all I would do is ask them why they did this to me. And once they tell me, I will allow them be. I’ve already forgiven them.”
He expressed appreciation to friends and lecturers who either called or visited during his dark hours of need.
Going down memory lane, the victim recounted how one of his bosom friends who later turned suspect, left him shortly before the attack. He said investigation carried out by the police identified this friend as a prime suspect who set him up.
“After sometime in detention, I pleaded with the police to release this friend. The lesson I’ve learnt from this is to not trust easily. Before, I used to trust everyone around me; but with what happened, I don’t trust easily again. I also learnt that it is that one closest to you that hurts you most.”
On how he felt after the incident, Abubakar said: “I can’t say exactly how I felt, but I believed one thing – the God who gave me this thing (hands) has taken them away. I was not sad at all. If you see me chatting among my friends, you wouldn’t have believed this was the same man who has been living without limbs for nearly a year. Even my doctors can attest to the fact that there was no point at which my blood pressure was high. Each time, they checked, it was normal.”
“I was bitter when I heard of what happened to Habibu. The same friend I had seen just hours to the incident. I’m happy he is all better now. Habibu is one strange character, he speedily accepted everything that happened, and has chosen to move on,”said Habibu’s friend Belo Aliyu Mana.
The Senior Special Adviser to the SU President on Media and Publicity, Comrade Muhammad Ba who was also part of the entourage, wished Abubakar a speedy recovery on behalf of the entire students. Muhammed said the union was happy that Abubakar, despite his travails, has moved on and was now his cheerful best.
He said: “I don’t know Abubakar. He doesn’t know me too. But I have heard a lot about him and I’m happy he is back to being himself now.”
Similarly, the class representative of Abubakar’s class, Ismail Abdulkahreem, expressed his gladness over Abubakar’s recovery. He prayed for his course mate.
Leave a Reply