Former Nigeria and Ajax winger loses brother and son in horror crash

According to reports by The Daily Mail, Tijani Babangida was involved in a “horror crash” that has left him in hospital and his brother, Ibrahim, dead. The accident occurred on 9th May 2024.

Tragically, Babangida’s one-year-old son is also said to have died, per reports from the Nigerian publication The Cable.

Babangida and his wife, Maryam, survived the crash, although there are reports she lost an eye during the accident.

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Babangida was rushed to hospital alongside his wife, son, and maid (who was also in the car), where they received treatment.

It was Babangida’s former teammate, Emmanuel Babayaro, who first announced the tragedy, releasing a statement on social media saying, “Let us pray for our president, Tijani Babangida, who has just been involved in a terrible car accident on the Kaduna-Zaria Eoad road.”

Following his playing career, Babangida became a football agent and the president of the Professional Footballer's Association of Nigeria, per The Sun.

Garba Lawal, a teammate who played with both Babangida brothers in the Nigeria national team, paid tribute to Ibrahim, releasing a statement on social media saying, “Ibrahim Babangida and his brother Tijani Babangida are like my brothers.”

Lawal’s statement continues, “I called some members of their family, no one among their sisters can say anything because of how sad it is. Our prayer is just that God should grant him eternal rest. We are also praying for Tijani’s wife, who is in critical condition, to get well soon and I think Tijani is getting better already because I spoke with him.”

Babangida spent the majority of his career playing in the Netherlands, spending time at Roda JC and Ajax, playing over 70 games for the Dutch giants.

Babangida was also a mainstay in the Nigerian national team during the late 90s, playing 36 times for his country, and won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. Ibrahim was a member of the 1993 U17 World Cup winning Nigeria squad, per FIFA.

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