‘I feel like my hand is burning with fire from inside’

A student of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS), Habibu Abubakar, lost his two hands when he was attacked by unknown assailants. His road to recovery is a long one that requires lots of funds, reports ABIODUN JAMIU, a 200-Level student of Political Science UDUS.

All was well with Habibu Abubakar, a 200-Level student of Modern European Languages and Linguistics at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) until Sunday when he was dealt a cruel fate by unknown men who chopped off his two hands.

Abubakar, who was class representative for his set, was attacked around 2a.m by the men at Mana area of the metropolis who also took away his motorcycle.

The act has been condemned by all and sundry, including students and the university’s Dean of Students’ Affairs, Prof Aminu Mode.

Uchenna Emelife, a 200-Level student of Literature in English, expressed sadness at the inhumane treatment Abubakar got from his attackers.

“I cannot bring myself to imagine the pain and trauma he must be passing through now. Habibu is the most egocentric person I have ever met. His competence is outstanding, ever ready to speak up and act in defense of the students he represented,” he said.

Another student, Muneer Yakub, who is in his final year studying Microbiology, said: “I cannot believe some peole could actually go as far as cutting off a fellow man’s hands and steal his bike.”

He said: “I have seen the pictures, but I don’t really know how it happened. I heard different versions of the attacks; some said he (Abubakar) was attacked by political thugs while another version alleged that he was confronted by thugs who stopped him on the way not because he belongs to any political party. They wanted his motorcycle.

“To me, that is simply inhumane! Even animals are better than them.”

The DSA said he was deeply touched by the attack because the victim was his student, noting that he had sent a team of departmental executives to visit him at the Orthopaedic Hospital in Wamakko where he is being treated.

“I am deeply touched. They have just rendered him helpless because 90 per cent of what we do in life is through the hands,” he said.

Abubakar has two sessions and one semester more to go to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern European Languages and Linguistics. However, how it will not be so easy to do so anymore without support.

Speaking when executive members of the Modern European Languages and Linguistics (MELL) visited him at the hospital, Abubakar said he would want to continue his education without taking a break.

“I feel like my hand is burning with fire from inside. However, I do not wish to dfer my academics even for a session. But I will wait patiently to wee my health condition improve before I resume,” he said.

According to www.webmd.com, it may take up to two months for wounds from an amputation following surgery to heal. This medical recovery should be followed by rehabilitation for the patient to learn to live as normally as possible without his limbs. For that, Abubakar would need the services of an Occupational Therapist. Abubakar would also need psychological counseling to deal with the trauma.

Ideally, Abubakar’s life would be easier with the aid of prosthetic limbs. However, whether his family can afford them is another matter.

With advances in science and technology, prosthetic limbs are now much more sophisticated such that amputees can achieve more. However, they do not come cheap. According to the website of the Alliance of Advanced Biomedical Engineering (https://aabme.asme.org/posts/3-d-printing-to-lower-prosthetic-costs), sophisticated prosthetic limbs cost between $5,000 to $50,000 – amounts barely affordable for citizens of industrialised countries, and way beyond the poor in developing countries like Nigeria.

Prosthetic devices have become more sophisticated, enabling amputees to accomplish more of the tasks that were once difficult or impossible because of missing hands, feet, or limbs. Additional functionality, however, comes at a price: advanced prosthetic limbs can cost anywhere from $5,000 (N1.8 million) to $100,000 (N36 million).

Foreign firms are now exploring the use of 3-D Printing Technology to lower the cost of prosthetic limbs. But that is not likely an immediate reality for Habibu.

Prof Mode said the University would support Habibu to graduate from the university – though he did not say the form the support would take.

“I assure that whatever can be done to ensure the completion of his programme will be done. The Vice Chancellor, Prof Abdu Abdullah Zuru, is aware of the situation and I know he has students in his mind. In fact, he has directed me to look into it so as to see what the management can do about the matter,” he said.