Fate has different things for everyone and it has to come at the appointed time no matter the situation. That is the story of 20-year-old Maryam Adamu who lost her life just like others in a stampede that occurred on Sunday, March 24, 2024, during the distribution of Zakaat by a Bauchi based philanthropist and Chairman of AYM Shafa group of companies.
Late Maryam was scheduled to be married two weeks after the month of Ramadan. She looked forward to her marriage and the coming Sallah. But she died last Sunday.
Suleimanu Adamu Duguri is the father of Maryam. He said his daughter’s death was an unfortunate event to him and his family as it came at a time it was least expected. But he accepted it in good faith. It came from Allah,” he said.
“She would have been married anytime after sallah as the to-be husband had concluded all arrangements for the ceremony but Allah wished it as it happened. He (the groom) was here and we have pacified him to take heart,” he told Saturday Tribune.
The grieving father said that he never discussed the issue of going to the venue of the distribution of Zakaat with his late daughter only for him to be called to go to the hospital to see and identify her lifeless body.
He, however, took solace in the fact that his daughter died as a Muslim and was buried as a Muslim praying Allah to grant her soul rest in Aljanat firdausi. He stressed that there was no reason to grief too much because everyone must die.
Another sad one is the story of 77-year-old Muhammadu Bello, Maiangwan Kobi (community head of Kobi) in the heart of Bauchi metropolis. He is still lamenting the loss of his 43-year-old daughter and her 8-year-old daughter. The grieving old man said that the loss would remain in his heart.
“I was sad when they brought the news that my daughter Aisha and her daughter died in a stampede. They had gone to collect Zakaat from Shafa. They left in the morning from my house. They came to me in the morning and told me that they were going to Shafa to collect Zakaat.
“The news was a painful one but I have left it in the hand of God. He is the one that gave them to me and he is the one that has taken them. That’s all. My advice is that whenever people want to give alms to people, they should collaborate with the government and those in authority, inform them of what they planned to do to assist the people. That is my advice.
“I served the Nigerian Army for many years before my retirement. I never knew anything called palliatives. We used to buy food at subsidized rates but now it has become expensive. We are not blaming anybody for what is presently happening in Nigeria but the government of the day should be held accountable. They are the ones that brought about this food crisis,” he said.
Another parent of one of the victims, Aisha Suleiman, Sulaiman Adamu said that his late daughter went to be part of the collection of Zakaat but met her death in the process. He said:
“When I went to the hospital and saw her body, I praised Allah for giving her to me and for deciding to take her back.”
He also said that, though it was painful, he had to take it in good faith from Allah.
Sulaiman Adamu, however, said that, there should be a new direction in the process of distributing palliative suggesting that, “there should be a proper process, people should not be made to troop out to one place to receive the support.”
Yahaya Shuaibu is the father of 16-years old Maryam Shuaibu who also lost her life in the stampede. According to Shuaibu, it was her destiny to die on the fateful day stressing that even if she had not gone there, she would have died through another means on the same day.
Shuaibu added that “as a Muslim, we have accepted it as fate from Allah who gave us and took her back. She died at her appointed time and day of death, we don’t have anything to say but to thank Allah for what He did.”
He, however, commended AYM Shafa for the gesture saying that, “It was not his fault at all because if he knew that tragedy was lurking, he would not have gathered people there. He had a good intention of assisting the less privileged and what happened should not discourage him from continuing. May Allah bless him abundantly. Other well-to-do individuals in the society should emulate his gesture.”
He advised Alhaji Yakubu Mohammed (AYM) to change the pattern of giving out Zakkaat, prefferably through the bank by collecting account details of the would-be beneficiaries in order to avert a repeat of the unfortunate incident which claimed lives of innocent people.
Habiba Musa Ado is a 50-year-old woman who was lucky to escape the stampede narrating that it was Allah who saved her as she was trapped in the crowd but struggled to get herself out of the ensuing stampede.
The old woman said that she heard about the exercise from her neighbours in Kandahar two days earlier and prepared to go in order to be part of the beneficiaries but was lucky enough to escape a sudden death.
Another victim, Asabe Danjuma said that she was lucky to have escaped with bruises on her legs as she was pinned to the ground and almost got suffocated to death. She prayed never to have such an experience again in her life.
Abubakar Hussaini is a very old man who put his age at about 80 and husband to Sahura who also lost her life in the unfortunate incident. He said that it was destiny that took her there and nothing else.
“There is nothing we can do about it. She was destined to die the way she died. We can only pray that Allah will grant her soul eternal rest in peace and give us the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,” he said.
To demonstrate a sense of responsibility, officials of the AYM Shafa Foundation responsible for the distribution of the Zakaat went round homes of the victims who lost their lives to condole their relations and express regret over the unfortunate stampede which was avoidable.
A renowned Bauchi Islamic scholar, Dr. Ibrahim Adamu Disina, who spoke on behalf of the delegation during the visitation to the family houses of the victims confirmed that in total, eight people died in the unfortunate incident.
The delegation prayed for the repose of the deceased’s souls, noting that their deaths were destined by God to occur on the day it happened. He equally prayed that the souls of the deceased be in Jannatul Firdaus.
Condoling families of the victims, Dr. Disina said that it was a delegation from Abdulmimini Foundation under which auspices the AYM Shafa Zakkaat was being given out to beneficiaries, some of whom lost their lives during the scramble for the money.
The delegation which comprised a cream of businessmen, retired public officers, technocrats and some relatives of Shafa said they found it most appropriate not to wait until AYM Shafa who is now outside the country to come back before paying the condolence visit.
All family members of the deceased tied the deaths of their beloved ones to destiny as ordained by the Creator. They expressed gratitude for the humanitarian gesture over the commodities and money donated to them by the Abdulmumini Foundation made up of two bags of rice, one bag each of millet and maize and a token of N250,000 to each of the families of the deceased.
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