How Tinubu Helped Me After Rebels Cut Off My Hands — Activist

Disability rights advocate and Executive Director of the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, David Anyaele, has shared how President Bola Tinubu came to his aid after Sierra Leonean rebels amputated his hands in 1999.

Speaking at the Nkata Umuibe monthly speakers’ series organised by the Centre for Memories (CFM) in Enugu, themed *“Onye Aghana Nwanne Ya”*, Anyaele recounted his traumatic experience during the Sierra Leone civil war. He explained that he was on a business trip to Freetown when fighters of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) attacked him simply because he was Nigerian. Despite his pleas, the rebels cut off his hands and left him for dead until Nigerian-led ECOMOG troops rescued him and took him to a hospital.

“That experience changed my world as I suddenly found myself in the disability community without knowing what the future held,” Anyaele said.

He recalled that after his story was broadcast on television, he reached out to several state governments, including those in the South-East, seeking help for medical treatment abroad but got no response. However, when he wrote to then Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu, the governor immediately directed medical experts to assess his condition. Following their recommendation for overseas treatment, the Lagos State government sponsored Anyaele’s rehabilitation in Germany, where he received artificial hands.

“I must thank the Tinubu administration and the good people of Lagos State for their hospitality,” he said.

Anyaele also expressed concern over the continued neglect and discrimination faced by persons with disabilities in Igboland, urging communities to embrace inclusion and empathy. “Disability can happen to anyone at any time,” he warned.

He commended Abia State Governor Alex Otti for setting up the Abia State Disability Commission and appealed to Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah to establish a similar body to promote inclusion and equal opportunity for all.