Prof Achi, Father Of Student Killed In ATBU Speaks.
......Says Pantami Was Imam When ATBU Muslim Community Issued Fatwa, Killed His Son In A Mosque.
Professor Samuel Achi, the father to Sunday Nache Achi a student whose news surrounding the circumstance of his death has resurfaced and is currently trending in Nigeria has confirmed the story making rounds and given more insight to the incident which occured in 2004.
Professor Samuel Achi, Former lecturer Kaduna State University & Father of Student Sunday Achi Murdered At ATBU Bauchi in 2004
Prof Achi a former lecturer of industrial chemistry at Kaduna State University, in a recent interview with Kayode Oyero of Punch on Wednesday narrated how his son, Sunday Nache Achi, was killed at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) mosque in Bauchi State when the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, was the Chief Imam of the university’s mosque.
The 67-years-old professor narrated, how, Sunday Achi his son, was strangled at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University mosque in Bauchi State stressing that he is not oblivious of the fact that Ali Isa Pantami the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, was at the time the Chief Imam of the university’s mosque when the incident occured on December 9, 2004.
He said that in 2004, his 24-year-old son was a 400-level student of Architecture at ATBU at who was alleged to have circulated a tract which according to Muslim students contained blasphemous words and was killed.
Prof Achi further revealed that his late son Sunday was the leader of the students’ fellowship of the Evangelical Church Winning All Ministry and emphasized that the tracts which his son shared did not contain an iota of blasphemy. However, the Muslim community at the university led by Pantami decreed ‘fatwa’ on his son Sunday stressing that his son Sunday was killed and his body thrown off ATBU mosque.
He further added that he was only able to retrieve the remains of his son with the intervention of the then governors of Kaduna and Bauchi states.
“The incident happened in the early hours of the 9th of December (2004). It was from the night of December 8 to the early hours of December 9 that it happened. From the fact that I had; from clear indications; from the confirmed information that I had, he was not stoned. He was actually strangled inside the mosque. His body was discovered outside the university mosque.”
Prof Achi while speaking said he had forgiven everyone involved in the gruesome murder of his son, but layed emphasis on the fact that his son wouldn't have died in the manner which he did if Pantami the chief Imam at that was a man of peace.
He said,
“ As a Christian, my belief is that even though they killed him by pronouncing fatwa against him, he was doing God’s work, so, I don’t think we have to worry about it. God has comforted us and we have been able to forgive everybody that did that terrible act.
“ Of course, we have no control over it but the blood of my son would always hunt whoever has a hand in killing him.”
Prof Achi speaking further said, he didn't want to go back to feeling the pain of the incident.
“ We are not surprised to hear news out of it. We have actually forgiven everybody involved in his killing,” he added.
According to the report by Punch another source a top official of ATBU who asked to be kept anonymous also confirmed that Sunday was killed in December 2004 when Pantami was the Chief Imam of the school.
“ We lost a student called Sunday Achi in 2004 when Pantami was the Chief Imam. Pantami was a student but was later retained in the school.” Shockingly, when the news agency contacted, Uwa Suleiman an Aide to Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Pantami, she denied and also said the revelations of Prof Samuel, father of late Sunday Achi was false and declined commenting and receiving comments on the matter.
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