How my son was killed during Goje, Inuwa supporters’ clash – Gombe mom

Maimuna Musa, 55, is the mother of a 21-year-old youth, Isa Abdullah, who was killed recently when suspected political thugs attempted to block Senator Danjuma Goje from entering Gombe State. In this interview with Daily Trust, she gave an account of how her only surviving son was killed by suspected thugs. She also spoke on […]

Maimuna Musa, 55, is the mother of a 21-year-old youth, Isa Abdullah, who was killed recently when suspected political thugs attempted to block Senator Danjuma Goje from entering Gombe State. In this interview with Daily Trust, she gave an account of how her only surviving son was killed by suspected thugs. She also spoke on the difficult situation she and the deceased younger siblings are living, since losing her son, who she said was the breadwinner of the family.

How did you receive the news of your son’s death?

My son worked as an assistant truck driver, on that faithful day at about 9am after I finished the forenoon prayer, he met me in my room and informed me that he was going to check on their truck, which was being serviced near Tumfure area of Gombe metropolis.

He bade me farewell and that was my last communication with him, only to be told later in the day that there was political skirmish around Gombe City Gate, where some thugs had blocked Senator Goje from entering Gombe.

According to reports, some political thugs chased him down and killed him on the spot.

Initially, I was skeptical and refused to believe that it was my son Isa that was killed, because at that time his phone was reachable even though he was not answering calls.

However, I began to get worried when after 4pm he didn’t return home as he used to. I was confused on what action to take next. Then around 8pm someone picked the phone and instructed my daughter to tell her father to go to the Tumfure Police Divisional Office.

She told them that their father has died, but they asked her to inform her guardians to report to the police at Tumfure Division. Therefore, his uncles went to the divisional office, where they were informed that he was killed during that morning crisis and his body was deposited at the morgue of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe.

They went back the following day where his remains were prepared and brought to the palace of the District Head of Pantami, where funeral prayer was conducted and the corpse taken to the graveyard for burial.

How did you feel when you finally confirmed your son was killed during the political skirmishes involving Senator Goje and Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya’s supporters?

Isa was my only surviving son, having lost his immediate elder brother, Ismail Abdullahi, in similar circumstances about seven years ago. As such, I cannot quantify my pain over the loss. I will only pray to Allah to forgive his shortcomings and grant him eternal rest, and give us the fortitude to bear the loss because he died when we truly needed him the most.

Before his death, what was he doing as a means of livelihood?

Since after his secondary school education three years ago, he couldn’t go further because of financial constraints, therefore, when he finished three years ago, he joined truck driving to support me and his three younger sisters. We heavily depended on his precarious shoulders, having lost my husband (their father) last year.

Late Isa was my surviving son; my eldest child also died leaving behind a wife and children. His immediate elder brother, Ismail Abdullahi was also killed by suspected political thugs, some four years ago during political skirmishes in Kumo town of Akko LGA.

But I am still surprised that he was killed during a political clash because he was level headed and never indulged himself in anything that will bring trouble.

He was very obedient to me, always trying to please and comfort me and ever ready to assist and support his three sisters that are still with me.

How do you cope now that he is no more?

Even before his death, we were living from hand to mouth. When his father died last year, he left behind 14 children and even when he was alive, he sold firewood and did some farming to feed us, but even then, the food he put on the table was always not enough for our big family.

It was the reason late Isa couldn’t continue with his education beyond secondary school. His two sisters have been roaming the streets since they finished secondary school about two years ago now, while the third one couldn’t even go beyond junior secondary school.

Now our hard situation has doubled with his death. Now to get three square meals is difficult for us. But my biggest challenge now is, a place to move to after the notice I was given to vacate the house we are now staying in expires.

After the death of my husband, this house we are staying in was shared among the 14 children he left behind. We have sold our own part and we are to leave and I don’t know where to go.

Did the state government contact you or pay you any compensation or offered assistance since his death?

We are yet to be contacted by the government, and nobody from the government side visited to condole us neither have we received any form of assistance since the incident occurred over two weeks now.

What I have concluded is that my son has already died and no amount of consolation will bring him back to me. He was the breadwinner of the family and got killed in a political clash.  

Unfortunately, even Isa’s brother, Ismail, who was killed also during a political crisis, the then government pledged to help the family, but to date, we have not heard from them.