A motorcycle mechanic, Yusuf Abdullahi, tells CHIMA AZUBUIKE how his 58-year-old mother, Aishatu Abdullahi, was attacked and killed in Jekadafari, Gombe Local Government Area of Gombe State on October 20, 2023
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING?
My name is Yusuf Abdullahi. I am 32 years old and the fifth child of my parents. I’m married with three children. I live in a separate residence from my parent’s house. I am a mechanic; I repair motorcycles for a living. My shop is just in front of my late mother’s house.
HOW MANY CHILDREN DID YOUR LATE MOTHER HAVE?
My mother, Aishatu Abdullahi, was 58 years old. She was blessed with eight children and over 10 grandchildren. She was born into a polygamous home and was the first child of her mother. But she had many other siblings, though I don’t know their number. She was an indoor businesswoman; she sold engine oil in my garage. She also sold groundnuts.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW SHE WAS KILLED?
Well, I was not present but from what we were told, the killers of my late mum came around at 9:30 pm on Friday (October 20, 2023). It was alleged that she was in her neighbour’s house watching a Hausa movie before she received a call and promised to be back after the call, but she didn’t return. It was later that neighbours said they heard a shout coming from her room only to open the door and meet her in a pool of blood. However, from what we observed, the criminals used a knife to slit her throat. It’s very sad that she was in her room and there was no one to come to her rescue.
Before she was skilled, did she have any issues with anyone?
No, she didn’t. Before her death, my mother didn’t have any problem with anyone. As I mentioned earlier, she was a loving mother, who was not only caring for her family, but her magnanimity was extended to neighbours and most people can attest to that. We never heard any bad comments concerning my mum from outsiders, and I can’t tell how many enemies she had because in life, you don’t know who hates you. Only God can read the hearts of men. Unfortunately, that was what happened to us because one of the suspects arrested by the police is a neighbour’s child.
How old is the suspect?
He is about the same age as some of my late mum’s grandchildren. He is someone we know very well. The suspect worked in my brother’s shop as an apprentice. If not for the police investigation, I am not sure any one of us would suspect him due to our closeness. His father and mother were my late mother’s friends. My mother was seeing a movie in her parent’s house when she received the strange call and promised to return but unfortunately didn’t return.
How did the suspect enter your late mother’s house?
According to the investigation conducted so far by the police and other security agencies, the suspect admitted to the fact that he entered through the window without anyone knowing. He hid under her bed and waited for her to come inside the room before executing his plan.
Did he act alone?
According to the investigation, there were two persons, but he was the only one who killed her. The other one (suspect) was alleged to have accompanied him to execute the plan.
We didn’t have a problem with any of them. We’ve been living in the neighbourhood for a long time and we’ve never had issues with them. No one in the neighbourhood has ever complained about her character, as she loved everyone and had a good relationship with the people in the neighbourhood. This I can attest to and also people around will also testify. But like I said earlier, we don’t know the hearts of men, and we don’t know whether they (the suspect) had issues with her that we didn’t know about.
How has the murder of your mother affected your family?
It has not been easy since I lost my mother and what hurts me the most is that she wasn’t sick or involved in an accident. Some people intentionally killed her. It hurts me so much because losing a mother is a great loss especially when you had plans for her and you were unable to fulfill them and then death occured all of a sudden. Anyone who loses their mother has lost a part of their life. I am not the only one hurt by her death; those who knew my mother are pained about her death. As Muslims, we are comforted by the fact that Allah knows best and we surrender to His will.
What will you miss most about her?
My mother was a caring person. She loved people, she lived in peace with them and she didn’t encourage bad behaviour. She also corrected people with love. Hajiya was a good mother with a good heart. I will definitely miss her, not only me but my neighbours. I thank God for everything because in Islam, we are encouraged to accept whatever happens to us no matter how bad it is, and also thank God for his comfort towards my family and our patience towards everything which is highly important.
What was your last encounter with your mother?
The last encounter was on the night she was killed because as I attempted to close my shop and depart home, she bade me goodnight. I also bade her goodnight because we were going to sleep and were not expected to see each other till the following day.
Earlier in the day, we had conversations about how she was going to sell her engine oil because she complained that it was expensive and I was the one who bought it for her from the market. However, I encouraged her about it since the increment was not much and she agreed to keep selling it at the old price.
I have a lot of sweet memories with my mother, one of the sweetest was that my mother didn’t want to see us facing any problem. She always found solutions to our problems and also showed us the right path to follow through her advice and that made us happy as her children. Also, the motherly love she showed to all of us proved that she cared so much about us and our well-being, and that made her children love her more every time.
I just remembered this very interesting experience which is the last fond memory I shared with her concerning the recently harvested rice. My mother did a bit of farming aside from her business and she got over 10 bags (of rice harvested) from the farmland. I jokingly asked her to give us some rice to take home and that we would pay her when we had money because we didn’t have food at home. She smiled and called me a smart boy. This just explains the type of mother we had. She was lovely, interesting, disciplined and peaceful.
The Gombe State Government condemned the killing of your mother. What is your plea to the government concerning the case?
If we were allowed to take the law into our hands, we know the exact judgment they (the suspects) deserve but since the case now belongs to the government, we don’t have any right to execute any plan against them. But the truth should be told; everyone knows the type of judgment they deserve. The Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Yahaya, has been helping us and is still helping us because it was through God and him that the killers got arrested because he gave an order to security agencies to make sure the suspects got apprehended. We, the members of the family, were reliably informed that Governor Yahaya warned that no one should call him until they (security agencies) had apprehended the killers. That was exactly what they did; less than two days after the incident, the police announced that their officers had apprehended the killers and that is highly commendable.
Did the state government visit you?
The Gombe State Government’s representative came for a condolence visit, and they told us that the governor was away on state matters in Abuja, but that they came on behalf of the governor and other government agencies. They offered help to us to make sure that we get the justice we deserve and we are happy that they made themselves available in our house.
Governor Yahaya outright condemned the gruesome murder of our mother; the governor described it as a mindless act. He immediately directed the police and other relevant security agencies in the state to mobilise investigative assets and ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous act were brought to book. He vowed that Gombe State, under his watch, holds a steadfast commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all its citizens, saying that the state has a zero-tolerance policy towards criminal activities and that the incident only strengthens our resolve to uphold the peace and security that our state is known for. He also made it abundantly clear that there would be no escape from justice for those responsible for the vile and vicious act, directing security agencies to leave no stone unturned to track down the culprits to account for their heinous actions.
Aside from ensuring that the suspected criminals are arrested, what else do you want the government to do?
Well, for now, we are appreciative of the efforts of security agencies. I want Governor Yahaya to keep doing a good job of boosting the anti-kalare squad (Operation Hatara), to tackle the issues of kalare boys (militia group) in Gombe State. Although the governor has been trying his best towards the eradication of the kalare boys, more efforts should be put to ensure that they are stopped from unleashing terror on innocent residents.
Is there specific assistance that your family wants from the government?
No one wouldn’t want the governor to assist them except they did not come in contact with him. I want him to make sure that justice prevails and give the perpetrators the right judgment. Finally, I want to thank the governor for his support since this incident occurred because he made sure that the suspect got arrested within a short period. That’s what every citizen would want his leader to be towards them, and also, I want to appreciate the security agencies that helped in making sure that the suspects were arrested.
In Jekadafari, we thank God the youths are not engaging in anti-social behaviours and our parents are showing us the right way to live life through counsel. We all know that when one gives birth to a child, they don’t give birth to the child’s character. No matter how hard you try to train a wayward child, except with the help of God, you cannot put him in the right way. I am urging the youth to fear Allah and hold the Almighty Allah tightly and also their business. Youths must endeavour to stay away from bad friends that will encourage them to engage in bad behaviours.
Sometimes, even if one is not bad, since they are always together with bad company, they will be corrupted; a bad company corrupts good manners. So, youths should be very careful with the type of friends they keep. I thank Allah and the Gombe State Government because if the suspects had not been arrested, they would not have been known. We are waiting for the judgment that will be passed by the government because if we take the law into our hands, it is going to be disastrous. With the number of killings (in the state), the security agencies should intensify efforts in their counter-criminal approach towards curbing crime in the state. Beyond uncovering such activities, they should be able to nip them in the bud before they occur.
PUNCH
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