ABUJA, Nigeria — One evening in November 2020, a year into his military service, Peacemaker Azuegbulam’s lifelong dream of being a soldier came to an abrupt end.
He was among a group of Nigerian soldiers deployed in the country’s grinding counteroffensive against Islamic extremists in northeastern Borno state when an anti-aircraft weapon was fired at them. When he regained consciousness, his life was no longer the same, and his left leg later had to be amputated.
He was given what he described as a chance to recover when he joined Nigeria’s team in last year’s Invictus Games and won Africa‘s first gold medal at the biennial sporting event founded a decade ago by the U.K.’s Prince Harry to aid in the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers.
“I thought I couldn’t meet up with life, but Invictus gave me an opportunity to recover through sports,” Azuegbulam, 27, said of the games, which are in the spotlight with Harry and his wife, Meghan’s three-day visit to Nigeria.
Azuegbulam is among the Nigerian servicemembers wounded and mentally battered in the country’s 14-year-long war against Islamic extremists and other armed groups in the country’s northern region. They say they feel better and are recovering faster since last year’s Invictus Games, when Nigeria became the first African country to compete in the event.
Though sports had been part of the recovery process for Nigeria’s wounded soldiers, military officials said…
