Yesterday, I paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Malama Ummulkhairi Usman Aliyu, the innocent Islamic teacher whose life was brutally cut short by a mob in Mararaban Jos, Kaduna State.
I spent time with her husband, Mallam Aliyu Muhammed, listening as he recounted the painful ordeal that has turned his life upside down. I also interacted with their children, whose young faces now bear the burden of a tragedy they neither caused nor deserve. It is one thing to read about such incidents in the news; it is another to sit in the home of a family whose world has been shattered.
As I listened, I was reminded that behind every statistic is a widow, an orphan, or a grieving parent. In this case, an innocent woman left home to attend an Islamic lesson but never returned. She was falsely accused, denied the protection every citizen deserves, and brutally murdered by a mob that chose violence over truth. No civilized society should tolerate such barbarity.
While I acknowledge the steps already taken by the Kaduna State Government, including its commitment to support the welfare and education of the children, justice cannot stop at sympathy alone. The prosecution of those responsible must be pursued diligently until its logical conclusion. Anything less would diminish the value of human life and embolden those who believe they can act with impunity.
I also respectfully appeal to the Kaduna State Government to consider every lawful avenue of justice available to this family. Given the family’s faith and the circumstances surrounding this tragedy, the issue of biyan diya (diyya) should be given due consideration where applicable under the law and accepted Islamic principles. While no amount of compensation can replace a wife or restore a mother to her children, acknowledging this responsibility would provide some measure of justice and relief to a family whose loss can never truly be quantified.
This tragedy should also compel us to confront the dangerous culture of mob justice. False accusations, rumours, and mob hysteria have claimed too many innocent lives. Every Nigerian, regardless of tribe, religion, or status, has the constitutional right to a fair hearing. The moment we permit the mob to become judge, jury, and executioner, we place every innocent citizen at risk.
May Allah (SWT) forgive the shortcomings of Malama Ummulkhairi Usman Aliyu, admit her into Aljannatul Firdaus, comfort Mallam Aliyu Muhammed and the children she left behind, and grant them the strength to endure this immeasurable loss.
Justice delayed must not become justice denied.
