The Executive Director of the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), Mr David Anyaele, has shared how President Bola Tinubu played a vital role in his recovery after he lost both hands to Sierra Leone’s rebel fighters in 1999.
Anyaele spoke on Friday evening at the Nkata Umuibe monthly speakers’ series organised by the Centre for Memories (CFM) in Enugu, themed “Onye Aghana Nwanne Ya.”
He explained that his attackers were members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the rebel group that fought during Sierra Leone’s civil war between 1991 and 2002.
The disability rights advocate recalled that he had reached out to several governments, including Southeast governors, after his ordeal was televised, but his requests for help were turned down.
According to him, he later wrote to then Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, who instructed doctors to assess his medical condition.
Following their recommendation, Anyaele was sent abroad for rehabilitation in Germany, where he was fitted with artificial hands.
He expressed gratitude to the Tinubu administration and Lagos State residents for their kindness and support at the time.
Narrating his ordeal, Anyaele said he was on a business trip to Freetown when rebels attacked him simply for being Nigerian. His pleas for mercy were ignored, leaving him brutally mutilated like many other victims during the conflict.
He said Nigerian-led ECOMOG soldiers eventually rescued him, evacuated him to hospital, and saved his life.
“That single moment altered the course of my life, as I suddenly became part of the disability community without knowing what lay ahead,” he said.
He recounted how he endured stigma, discrimination, and social exclusion as a result of his condition.
Appealing to the Igbo community, Anyaele urged an end to prejudice against people with disabilities, stressing that disability can happen to anyone at any time.
He also praised Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, for establishing the Abia State Disability Commission and called on Enugu Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, to implement a similar structure in his state to promote inclusion.