The President of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN), Tijani Babangida, was on Thursday involved in an auto crash in which his younger brother, Ibrahim Babangida, died on the spot.
The Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games gold medalist, who was said to be the one driving, ran into a moving trailer along Kaduna-Zaria Road when the accident occurred.
His former teammate, Emmanuel Babayaro, who is the General Secretary of PFAN, disclosed the incident in a statement.
According to Babayaro “Comrades! Let us be in prayers for our president, Tijani Babangida, who just had a ghastly motor accident along the Kaduna-Zaria Road.
“Ibrahim Babangida, his younger brother, died on the spot from the accident while Mr. President (Babangida) and his family were taken to the hospital. May the soul of Ibrahim Babangida Rest in Peace with God, amen,” he stated.
Babayaro who confirmed the accident, said, “Yes, it is true. The accident happened while they were on their way to Zaria from Kaduna.”.
“His brother Babangida died on the spot from the accident. The accident happened today (Thursday) this afternoon, and his wife was also involved in the accident.
“He is currently admitted to Shika Hospital in Zaria, where he is receiving treatment, and to the glory of God, he is conscious,” he added.
The late Ibrahim, 47, a retired footballer himself, was a member of the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning Golden Eagles squad in Japan.
He featured for local sides Bank of the North, Stationery Stores, and Katsina United on the domestic scene before joining Dutch side Volendam in 1997.
Corroborating the incidence, Kaduna State Chairman of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Shehu Abdullahi, said, “It is true, he was travelling to Zaria when he (Tijjani Babangida), who was driving, ran into a trailer according to an eyewitness, losing his brother with himself and others on board, sustaining varying degrees of injuries,” he said.
