•TikToker Bankyroy family picture
Nigerian TikToker, Bankole Ridwan Ishola, popularly known as Bankyroy, recently lost his wife to the cold hands of death shortly after she gave birth to their first child.
To say that the 26-year-old has endured more pain in the past two years than many could imagine would be an understatement, reports Nigerian Tribune.
After losing both lower arms in a devastating electrical accident, the amputee TikToker found renewed strength in music, carving out a career as a disc jockey.
But just as life seemed to be offering him what looked like a fresh start, tragedy struck again as the death of his wife plunged him back into mourning.
The incident that changed everything
Bankyroy’s life changed forever on a rainy morning in September 2023. At the time, he was running a small POS business when he tried adjusting the umbrella covering his stand. Unknown to him, it had tilted dangerously close to a high-tension cable.
“It was on September 13, 2023, the day after Mohbad died. I was at the garage charging people’s phones before I later started running POS. The girl working with me didn’t place the umbrella properly, so I went to fix it. I didn’t know it had touched a high-voltage wire, and I was electrocuted,” he recalled in an interview with BBC News Pidgin.
The next thing he remembered was waking up in hospital, fighting for his life.
Six months in hospital, losing both arms
After the accident, he spent six months in hospital, enduring constant pain in his arms and legs. Doctors explored several options but eventually advised amputation of his lower arms.
Although his parents initially resisted, hoping for a miracle, when his flesh could no longer hold, surgery became the only option.
Love lost after amputation
As if the trauma of amputation was not enough, another emotional blow soon followed. His then-girlfriend abandoned him shortly after the surgery.
In a 2024 interview with Mr Lilgaga, he recounted how she once called angrily because he was not answering her calls. Despite explaining his situation, she insisted she was no longer interested in the relationship and left.
Daring disability: Choosing to become a DJ with no arms
Despite his condition, Bankyroy refused to let amputation define his life. He turned to music and embraced Deejaying, an ambition many mocked him for daring to pursue without arms.
“People commented, asking if they had ever seen someone without hands becoming a DJ. I told them that’s exactly what I wanted to do. At first, when I played, people would say it was just a mixtape. It really discouraged me, but I kept posting my performances online until I got better,” he explained.
Looking ahead, he also dreams of opening a game house for young people, stressing that he would never resort to begging despite his disability.
“I used to have hands and God cared for me, now that I don’t have hands, God is still looking out for me. I won’t suffer because God will make a way. I don’t plan to beg like others in my condition because I believe God is in charge,” he said.
From rejection, marriage of hope to lost ‘solace’
After the heartbreak of being abandoned by his former girlfriend, marriage gave Bankyroy a new sense of hope. He found love again and soon tied the knot, believing that the worst of his challenges were finally behind him.
The couple later welcomed their first child, a son, an event that briefly filled his world with joy.
But tragedy lurked, and struck again but this time, his wife.
Bankyroy’s wife died while bringing their son into the world, leaving him a grieving husband and single father.
In an emotional TikTok video with their newborn son, he revealed that the baby has been named Rayaan.
Captioning the clip, he wrote, “Today we name you Rayaan. I pray my God forgive my woman’s short coming Amen.”
“I don’t know how to start again”.
In another viral video after her passing, Bankyroy, while speaking with friends, struggled to contain his emotions as he expressed his sadness.
According to him, his wife had done everything for him while she was alive, handling the daily tasks he could no longer manage on his own.
“She doesn’t allow me to do anything. I keep remembering all those things and asking myself how I want to start again. She has spoilt me. How am I going to cope? How am I going to start again? It is not up to two years since we met, and I had already started getting happy that God had turned my sorrow to joy.”
