'How I lose my arm as I dey defend my community'

“I no regret say I lose one arm because na wetin God don destin to happun to me be dat and for dat today, my community dey celebrate me.”

“Anoda painful tin be say my wife die just months afta I lose my arm. She bin dey overtink wetin happun to me.”

Dat na how Sani Inusa wey many sabi as Officer Babangida for Tudun Fulani part of Kano for North West Nigeria, begin tori to BBC Pidgin of how e take lose one arm and almost lose im life for di hands of some armed robbers.

For di pipo wey dey stay Tudun Fulani, Babangida na dia own ‘Superman’ considering how e dey try im best to stop bad elements wey wan cause trouble for di area.

“No single Police outpost for di whole of our community, na wetin make me join vigilante five years ago be dat. So dat I fit contribute to keeping di community free from bad eggs.

We get a lot of youth wey dey into drug dealing, abuse and stealing and if you join am with lack of police or any oda official security outfit na wahala be dat.” E tok.

“We no get hospital and no electricity for di area. In fact by dis time wey be rainy season, many pipo dey avoid di area because di road no good at all even for pesin on foot.”

Di father of four say e dey pain am say despite all di votes dem dey give politicians dem no get any single social amenity wey dem dey enjoy for dia side.

'How I lose my arm'

On January 18 2023, Babangida say e dey im house dey try complete one work wen e receive emergency call for help.

“I bin dey sew some chairs because na di oda work I dey do since no payment for vigilante na just community work.”

So around 3:00am na im I receive call say some arm robbers dey rob one of my neighbours house and so I quickly rush comot.”

But Babangida bin no know say di robbers plenti pass only im and im colleague wey rush out to di rescue.

“Unfortunately, na only two of us comot dat time and di robbers reach up to 50 na so dem begin use some of di weapons wey dey dia hands to attack us.

I suffer several cuts with cutlass and knives because as dem dey attack me I dey use my hand to block am.

“My oda colleague also suffer over 50 cuts. Na dia dem leave us in di pool of blood thinking we don die.”

Babangida manage to crawl reach somewhere wia pipo see am and help am to hospital.

“I manage crawl long distance before some pipo see me and carry me go Murtala hospital.”

“Na dia doctors confam say my arm don spoil and dem must remove am and even di oda arm get serious fracture and I no dey fit use am well too.” E tori.

'Di death of im wife'

Babangida say di attack on im life really affect im wife.

“She dey always over think di incident because moments before I comot, me and her dey gist before she go sleep.” E tok.

One day afta di incident she fall and no come back from hospital alive.

Babangida say e dey outside wen one of im pikin rush to tell am say dia mother don fall down from her bed.

“We rush her to hospital and we spend days for hospital before she die.”

‘I no go give up to fight bad pipo’

Officer Babangida say despite im condition, e dey sweet am to remember some memorable events wey im two hands achieve before di incident

“Moment plenty wey dey give me joy if I remember becos despite wetin happun on January 18, we really give bad guys tough time for Tudun Fulani.”

We don arrest plenty drug dealers and also robbers before and wetin we dey do na to carry dem go Bachirawa or Gwale police station.

“Even recently, we arrest some pipo wey bin dey try kidnap some small children for di area, so tins like dat dey give me joy.” E tok.

Despite say na one arm e get and di oda one still get problem Babangida still dey go vigilante office everyday to contribute to keeping di area safe.

“I go dia everyday because na dia we dey discuss di security and safety of our community.”

I dey tell you say even recently, I contribute as we arrest pipo wey visit out area to kidnap small pikin dem.

“I no go give up because dis na wetin I wan do to helep my pipo and my community.” E tok.