‘I want my teacher punished for killing my father’

Zainab Abubakar Kabir’s father was killed, she alleged, by her history teacher during the post- election riots in Kaduna State. In this interview, she decries the nonchalant attitude of the government towards bringing the perpetrators of the violence to book. Excerpts:




Months after your father was killed during the post-election riot, what are your grouses?
I want my history teacher and all those who perpetrated this election riot to be brought to book. I never thought my teacher would do such a thing. All I want is justice, as he killed my father during the riot, in my presence. On the day of the riot, when we were gathered together both male and female close to the house of a man called Babawo, we were separated, men from women, so that they will take us to the police station. It was while on our way to the police station that I saw my father close to the house of one Mallam Abdullahi. I quickly followed him towards Mallam Abdullahi’s house. I saw about three injuries on his body and as he was about reaching Mallam Abdullahi’s house, someone came from behind Mallam Abdullahi’s house and macheted him. The assailant ran and entered into the midst of women going to the police station.

Amongst those of us going to the police station, there was a man backing an old Muslim woman; since they were not killing women we begged him to give my father the old woman to back and he obliged. Just as we were going, due to the injuries on his body, my father found it difficult to continue backing the old woman so I asked him to give me the old woman, which he did. On our way, I removed my wrapper and hijab and gave to my father to wear. We met the killers on our way to the police station and they started separating the men from the women. Unfortunately for us, when we got to the corner, my father’s trousers showed under the wrapper. So the group, among which was my history teacher, singled out my father.

They hit him with sticks and he fell down. As he fell down, they used a knife to cut him. I was there crying when [my teacher] beat me and asked me to leave the scene, but I refused. He beat me again. Before he killed my father, I begged him, but he didn’t listen to me.

What is the name of your school, where the history teacher teaches?

He taught SS 3 students at Government Girls Secondary School, Zonkwa. I learnt that he left immediately after the crisis, to one Character International School. The crisis has disrupted my studies and that of my sisters and brothers. I did not write WAEC because the day this incident happened, I just came back from writing the exams of my Physics practicals. I could not continue with the examination, obviously.