Wilfred Ndidi survives a devasting explosion

Much is said about how Ndidi got his big break playing for Nath Boys football academy. But much before that, in January 2002 he lived in the Army Cantonment as a 7 year old when a massive explosion ripped through the barracks which saw over 1000 bodies retrieved from the aftermath and a lot of people declared missing presumed dead as an ammunition store blew up.

Wilfred the former Genk of Belgium star was one of the lucky few that survived the armory explosion said to have been caused by the accidental detonation of a large stock of military high explosives at a storage facility in the barracks located within the heart of Maryland.

The story is better told by Victor Atuyota, the man who saw it all. He was later to start a football academy for the survivors to engage in football.

“2002 is one year that people residing in the cantonment don’t want to remember. It was terrible”, he began.

“Wilfred was just about 8 years old or so when it all happened. We just heard a loud explosion and before you could say Jack Robinson, everywhere was scattered. Everyone ran for their dear lives. Parents didn’t remember their children, everyone ran”

How did Wilfred get out of the cantonment and how did he survive, I asked the Delta state born football coach.

“It was by the special grace of God because their house was a little bit far from the bomb blast site, he was able to run with other children all the way from Maryland to Alagbado (about an hour distance) situated on the outskirts of Lagos”. With the situation was under control, Wilfred and a few others came back to the cantonment to the relief of their parents. This sad occurrence made me form the academy just to revive the hopes of the young boys in the barracks,” he opined. Sadly, not everyone that ran out of the barracks to escape imminent death came back alive. “Wilfred was just a lucky child. Do you know that many of the people he ran out with have not been found? Some parents have not seen their children since then.”