The Executive Director of the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), David Anyaele, has narrated how President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as governor of Lagos State, facilitated his rehabilitation after Sierra Leonean rebels amputated his hands in 1999.
Anyaele shared his experience on Friday during the Nkata Umuibe, a monthly speakers’ series organised by the Centre for Memories (CFM) in Enugu, themed “Onye Aghana Nwanne Ya.”
He recalled that he was attacked by fighters of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the rebel group that fought in Sierra Leone between 1991 and 2002, during a business trip to Freetown.
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According to him, his hands were chopped off simply because he was a Nigerian. “I pleaded with them not to mutilate me, but they refused.
Many Nigerians faced similar ordeals during the Sierra Leone civil war,” he recounted.
Anyaele said he survived the attack after Nigerian-led ECOMOG troops rescued him and took him to the hospital.
He disclosed that after returning to Nigeria, he sought assistance from various governments, including South-East governors, but received no support. His appeal to the then Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, however, yielded results.
“The Tinubu administration directed doctors to examine me, and medical reports recommended overseas treatment,” he said. “That was how I was sent to Germany, where artificial hands were fitted.
I must thank the Tinubu administration and the good people of Lagos State for their hospitality.”
Reflecting on his journey, the disability rights advocate lamented the discrimination and exclusion faced by people with disabilities, especially in Igboland.
“Living with disability in our society often means enduring stigma, neglect, and isolation,” he said, urging Nigerians to promote inclusion and empathy.
He also commended Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, for establishing the Abia State Disability Commission, and called on Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, to replicate the initiative.
“Disability can happen to anyone, anytime. We must not discriminate but rather build an inclusive society,” Anyaele added