Togo national football team attack: Survivors remember machine gun ambush, 10 years afta

On 8 January 2010, di Africa Cup of Nations for Angola bin only remain few days before e start.

I bin dey di province of Cabinda, dey prepare to cover Group B for di BBC World Service, and bin also dey in charge of handing ova di BBC African Footballer of the Year trophy to di newly-crowned winner, Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba.

As di day waka dey go, unconfam reports of shooting, wey involve Togo national team, start to fly evriwia. Di detail bin no clear, but e clear say sometin serious don happun.

How serious di tin be show wen I meet di squad as dem dey return to dia hotel for Cabinda city.

I ask to speak to someone, dem immediately tell me say di team tok-tok pesin na dia best-known player - wey be Manchester City star Emmanuel Adebayor.

Wen e siddon to tok, e give shocking details of di attack wey kill two members of di Togo delegation and result in life changing injuries to some odas.

10 years afta, dis na di tori from team members wey make global headlines and wetin happun afta.

Togo squad bin dey in good spirits days before di 2010 Nations Cup. Dem just qualify back for di tournament afta dem miss out for 2008 and bin dey prepare to take on group wey feature some of di biggest names for African football - Drogba Ivory Coast and Michael Essien Ghana bin dey di same group.

Before di tournament, Togo decide to camp for Pointe Noir for Republic of Congo, just over 100km from wia dem go play dia group games for Angola city of Cabinda.

Cabinda dey separate from di rest of Angola, and instead of di Togo suad to fly from wia dem dey to di capital Luanda and den fly back north again, dem choose to drive. Dis decision later end with bad result.

Afta di suqad relax in di evening, di night before - dem travel go di border. Players bin just dey laugh and joking amongst demselves for di bus.

Angola security forces join dem for di border and suppose escort dem through di forest - wey be di base of one groups wey dey call for independence from Angola - to Cabinda city. Di squad no pay much attention to dia arrival. Dem no know say very soon dem go begin fight for di lives of everyone inside di Togo team bus.

Di small convoy move from di border, to di road through di forest. Looking back 10 years, midfielder Junior Senaya recall di journey, and di moment everitin change.

"All of us bin dey enjoy, afta we don cross di border. Some of us bin dey busy dey listen to music. I remember afta 15 minutes wey we don dey drive we hear gunshot for di forest - we all laugh, make joke. Den serious shooting start."

Di first casualty happen before anybody even know wetin dey go on.

Senaya remember Togo media officer, Stanislas Ocloo, bin stand to video dia arrival for Angola at di moment of di attack. Dem shoot kill am.

Anoda player wey remember clearly those crazy moments na goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale. Im life change for just few seconds, as e realise say dem don shoot am too.

"I hear di sound of di machine gun," Im tok, "and for dat very moment I bin want move go hide, e bin dey as if dem nail me to chair.

"Dat na wen I see myself - both my belle and my back begin bleed. Dat na wen I begin panic. I say: 'Dem don hit me, help me, help me, I want see my daughter, my son. I no wan die here.'"

Even as im dey handle e own injuries, and fear, Obilale bin dey able to remember and tok wetin happun dat day.

Im remember as assistant coach Amelete Abalo shout say dem don shoot am - di 54-year-na one of di pipo wey die for di attack. E remember one team-mate wey get military training call for weapon, so dat e go fit fight back.

Di team bin no dey able to escape from di shooting because di bus driver - Mario Adjoua - don also wunjure for di start of di attack.

Di convoy by-force stop, and serious firefight brake out between di attackers and di security forces. Memories of how long e last dey different, but everyone agree say na at least 30 minutes e last.

Adebayor tok about how serious di longest half hour of e life dey.

"No be like say one or two guys shoot one or two times on our bus," Adebayor tell me afta im don dey safe place for di team hotel few hours afta di attack.

"We don dey di middle of dat for 30 minutes or even more. Our bus bin don stop and pipo bin don dey shoot our bus for 30 minutes. Can you imagine? Honestly na one of di worst experiences I don eva get for my life.

"Without di security den I no go dey here dey tok you. Maybe na my dead body you fit dey tok to."

Accounts of how e all end different - Adebayor describe one fleet of 4x4 vehicles arrive to take di squad away even as dem still dey shoot from di forest, while Senaya remember silence.

But eventually dem take all of dem to hospital for di outskirts of Cabinda City, wia those wey noting do help carry dia dead and colleagues wey wunjure inside.

"Those na di times wey you realise wetin dey happun really, wen I take one of di players inside di hospital," Adebayor tok.

"Wen I come out, I see all di players, and everyone bin dey cry, everyone bin dey tok about dia family, calling pipo, calling dia mama, dey cry for phone.

"I think dat na di worst moment of dis day, because you fit see pipo tell dia last words, because dem think say dem go die."

Shortly afta dat di squad security men leave di squad on dia own wit few local officials.

Wit dead and injured friends and colleagues for hospital, dem later walk short distance to dia hotel compound, without any security whatsoever.

Dat na wia I come across dem, and I walk wit di team as dem waka go back dia accommodation.

All four teams for di group bin dey stay for di same compound and Kolo Toure and couple of oda Ivorians come to offer condolences and find out wetin happen - rumours bin done already spread.

Di survivors den sidon to eat - e bin dey late for evening, by dis point dem neva chop anytin since.

Throughout di meal, evriwia bin dey silent.

Di news of di attack make global headlines, and wia 24 hours earlier I bin dey able to walk in simply wit tournament accreditation, di next day heavy paramilitary security surround di hotel complex.

Officials, goment ministers and representatives of di Confederation of African Football fly in from Angola capital Luanda, wit questions about wetin happen, who dey responsible, and why - for sometin wey go against tournament rules - Togo decide to drive instead of fly.

Shortly afta di attack claim of responsibility comot from di Front for di Liberation of di Enclave of Cabinda, wey be separatist group wey never don accept di decision of di former colonial power, Portugal, to integrate Cabinda into Angola in di late 1950s.

Several factions of di body bin dey, and which one dey responsible no dey clear - but e clear from very early on say dis no be attempted robbery.

Anoda question lie for di presence Angolan security wey travel with di team. If Togo no dey authorised to drive to Cabinda, why and how come dem even get escort? And na di militarised escort cause di attack?

None of dis questions get clear answers, even 10 years on - and at di time di most immediate issue for di players na to absorb wetin don happen to dem and decide wetin to do next.

For several days e no dey clear to those of us wey watch from di outside wetin go happen.

Rumours suggest say split bin dey between those for camp wey want continue wit di tournament and those wey want go home.

In di end, Togolese authorities for Lome take decision, dem call di squad home to attend di funeral of those wey die and take part in ceremonies of national mourning - decision wey later make Caf ban dem sake of alleged "government interference" for football.

Few days afta dia terrifying experience, Togo Sparrowhawks come out of dia hotel complex for anoda heavily armed convoy, dis time dem head towards Cabinda airport, and later leave.

But di consequences of wetin happen no go easily leave di mind of those wey involve for di assault.

Two pipo bin die and a number of odas seriously wound - di worst na di goalkeeper, Obilale.

Initially tori spread say im die too. Dat no dey true, but e suffer serious damage to im spine, intestines, liver and bladder, and dem transfer am go hospital for South Africa, to begin e recovery.

Since den e don face eight major operations and don get to rebuild e life, physically and emotionally.

"I done do lot of tins, and I happy say I do dem. I go back to school, take exams, work and write book," im tok.

For long time im work wit children with special needs, as e help dem through di medium of football, and e don set up e own organisation to continue dat work.

Obilale lose e livelihood - and almost e life - for Cabinda and e dey striking say im tok say na since only di change in leadership for di Confederation of African Football for 2017, wen current president Ahmad comot Issa Hayatou, na im e don get any meaningful contact wit di continental governing body.

On Tuesday night Caf give am special award, 10 years from Cabinda, to recognise e achievement for im recovery, and wetin e dey do to help odas.

Cameroon legend Samuel Eto'o na di host for Hurghada, and e be one of several former players wey don provide steady support. Odas na e former captain Adebayor and Ghana Ayew brothers - Andre Ayew and e brother Rahim bin dey part of di Black Stars squad wey play for Cabinda for 2010.

Even those wey e no affect physically face significant challenges for di wake of di attack.

Junior Senaya, wey be player wey help take Togo to dia remarkable first World Cup for Germany for 2006, bin dey only 25 wen e happen, but e football career end dat day.

"E bin dey psychologically catastrophic, e turn [tins] upside down," na so im tok.

"I really no fit recover... I find no reason at all to play football for my club because psychologically I bin dey shocked."

Now im dey study for e coaching badges.

E last for half an hour, maybe a little more. Why and how e happen na still di subject of some dispute.

But no one fit deny di human cost of dat short bus trip for Cabinda, 10 years ago.

Additional research and reporting by Blame Ekoue for Lome and Victoire Eyoum in London.