From Molly Kilete, Abuja
They joined the Nigerian Armed Forces as able bodied-men and women to fight, defend and protect the territorial integrity of the country from external aggression.
But today, they are no longer the same as they have become disabled having lost their limbs, hands as the case may be, while others have paid the supreme price by leaving their families and loved ones behind to suffer.
As it is, they can no longer do what they were used to do on their own without being assisted by friends, relatives, spouses and children.
At the initial stage when they lost their limbs, some of them contemplated suicide having been abandoned by people they thought loved them.
Many of them went into depression that took several counseling from religious leaders, colleagues, concerned Nigerians and a few of their loved ones who continued to talk to them that losing a limb was not and would never be the end of life.
With little talks here and there, they braced up courage as soldiers that they are and gradually began to see their present condition as a blessing in disguise and decided to make something meaningful with their lives.
Today, these group of soldiers can proudly say to anyone who cares to listen that all hope is not lost after all as they have found a special sporting game to keep body and soul alive.
As the nation marks the Armed Forces Remembrance Day to celebrate its fallen heroes today, the Defence Headquarters thought it wise to celebrate those of them that are still alive by organizing a sporting activity for ‘wounded in action soldiers,’ as they are called in the military parlance.
And so on Friday, January 12, a sitting volleyball competition was held between the Evictus team comprising all ‘wounded in action soldiers’ and the FCT team was to celebrate these living heroes.
The venue for the competition was the Volleyball complex at the National Stadium, Abuja.
Sunday Sun was there and caught up with these soldiers who took their battle to the court, but lost to their counterparts.
Welcome to the world of wounded in action soldiers who have found love in the game of Sitting Volleyball.
Incidentally, most of them knew nothing about volleyball and did not have any interest in the game, but with their present condition, they thought it wise to engage themselves in something meaningful.
This reporter was moved by the passion displayed by the team members who played against their fellow disabled friend from Team FCT.
The match which lasted for about 2 hours or more saw Team FCT emerging winners, but the result did not in any way demoralize them as they were seen congratulating the winners with smiles and hugs.
In this interview, some of the soldiers talked about how they joined the army with their complete bodies and ended up the way they have become through accident and while fighting the counter insurgency war in the Northeast part of the country. First to speak is the captain of the team, Effiong Antigha.
My name is Corporal Effiom Antigha. I joined the Nigerian army in September 2011.
I was trained at the Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria. After six months of training, I was posted to Guards Brigade Nigerian Army and I was discharging my duty effectively and diligently and sometime in 2019, there was a game going on because I am also a sports person as well. We had our evening game and that was where I had an accident and that was where I had my own injury. I had fatanal fracture and since then I have remained like this. I have had two major surgeries and the effect has been there ever since then and I have not been normal since then. But I thank God that I am normal and I have been able to come for this competition.
WHY I JOINED THE ARMY
I joined the army because I want to serve my nation and my love for the army job made me to join the army. I wanted my family to have a soldier so I joined and I believe my family is proud of me.
MARRIAGE
I am married and I have two children and they tell me they love to become soldiers.
WORKING
Yes, I am still in the Nigerian army and I live in the barracks, the army did not send me home because of my condition
Also speaking, Corporal Harrison Amuzie Agoha said:
“I joined the Nigerian army in 2008. I was trained at the Depot Nigerian army and after my training, I was posted to headquarters Nigerian army band corps where I served for the next eight years before I went on operation. I went for the United Nations Operations in Liberia and from there I was redeployed to serve my nation in the Northeast precisely.
“I was deployed to Delwa/Damboa axis in the Northeast and that was where I got attacked.
“What happened was that I was on an observation post duty and we normally climb the mast. So, I was on this MTN communication mast when the camp was overrun and everybody was withdrawing so, I had to rush down with all the heavy firing from the terrorists. It was on my way down and trying to evade the bullet and everything from the terrorists that I fell from the top of the mast to the ground. I have had the surgery and surgery was not properly done and I still need a corrective surgery, but that not withstanding, I am happy and I am glad for this opportunity for recovery sports has given me.
“There were things I thought and felt that I could never do. I felt that I could never play any sporting activity again, but I am glad that I can now play volleyball.
“Before now, I never knew anything about volleyball, I have never played volleyball in my life.
WHY I JOINED THE ARMY
Actually, I am an army brat. My dad is a soldier and the only job I know in my life is soldiering and when the opportunity came for me to join the army after my school, higher institution actually. And I am glad that I joined the army and I will still do it again if I come back to this world.
ADVICE FOR REMEMBRANCE DAY
As the nation marks the Armed Forces Day celebrations on Sunday January 15, I want to wish my comrades who are still in the Northeast theatre of operations and those who are in the warfront safety. I want them to know that I am praying for them and I want them to keep the flag flying, they should keep on fighting because these insurgency of a thing will stop very soon and I mean very soon.
Also Peacemaker Ozoebulam added his voice:
My name is Lance Corporal Peacemaker Ozoebulam. I joined the Nigerian Army in 2019. I am 26 years old.
I joined the army to use my strength and energy to serve and defend my country, Nigeria. That was my ambition to join the Nigerian army.
I was trained at Depot Nigerian Army Zaria, and after the rigorous training, which lasted for nine months, I became a soldier. After passing out, they gave us pass to go and see our family and after that, we’re assembled at Jaji, Kaduna State for a Special Forces Training. The training lasted for three months after which we were moved to Maiduguri in the Northeast. On November 18, 2020, on our way to dislodge a Boko Haram location at Damboa, I was fired by the terrorists with an anti-aircraft gun, that is meant to bring down an aircraft and it shattered the whole of my legs which led to the amputation because the gun scattered my leg. It was my left leg. And since then, everything about my life changed. My friends some of them ran away from me and things became very different and it was entirely a different dimension of life because I could no longer do the things that I used to do.
For example, I couldn’t walk with my two legs, I could only use walking stick and depended on people before I can walk or help myself. I depended on people to assist me; before I could take my bath, go to toilet and do everything. At a point I was using wheelchair because I was unable to use crutches, so things became very difficult for me.
HOW I OVERCOME
I remained like that for about one year before I was provided with this prosthesis that I am using now, but things were still hard for me until when I joined Invictus games. When I joined the games, I started making new friends and I engaged myself in sports like this sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball and golf.
It was when I saw myself doing those things that I know that yes, I now have something I can do that will give me joy. And I also have a team that I can work together with. I found out that there are people who have the same injury like me and they are still moving on, they are still copping with life’s daily struggle. So, when we started playing the games together, we move together, we eat together, we do things together was when I regained my energy and strength and I am very happy to be part of Invictus games foundation.
Before now, apart from the regular physical training exercise in the army, I did not know how to do any kind of sports, I was only doing my work as a soldier before I got injured.
HOW I FEEL
I can confidently tell you now that I feel very better and I feel energized because I have engaged myself with these sporting activities, I am no longer idle because as they say, an idle mind is the devils workshop. I felt bad why I did not engage in this Invictus games before now. Before I joined the games, I used to sit down and think, saying why did this thing happen to me, why I’m I the only person having this kind of injury that has prevented me from becoming who I want to be in life because no man will be happy to have one leg and moving with one leg. I used to feel like the world should come to an end because this is not how I was before I joined the Nigerian army, I thought of so many bad things. But now that I have engaged myself in this games, it gives me joy because I can now see that there is another means for me to survive in this my present condition and become who I want to be because no man would be happy having one leg. I thank the foundation because I have found myself in sports that I can get joy from it, so I am very happy and I thank the foundation for choosing me.
MARRIAGE
I am married, but I don’t have a child for now because I am newly married.
HOW I MET MY WIFE
I so much love my wife because we went to the same school. She is from Rivers State while I am from Imo State. It was when I got injured that she even accepted to marry me. We have known each other for a while now, but we were not dating, we just knew each other as friends and schoolmates. It was when I got injured that I had the time to stay in a particular place because before my injury, I was moving from one operation place to the other. But when I got injured, I met her and she accepted me, so I am very happy she married me without minding my condition coupled with my prostheses that I have and I am still serving in the army.
I am currently serving with 144 Battalion, my operational unit is 198, but I am still at the hospital on rehabilitation because they are still working on my prostheses.
ADVICE TO OTHER SOLDIERS
My advice to soldiers especially the wounded in action soldiers who are not aware of the Invictus games should be enlightened because it is a rehabilitation sports and it will help them in a long way to regain their joy and strength. It will help them to know that there is another life after their injuries that can motivate everyone of us as wounded in action soldiers.
