•Federal Capital Territory
The FCT Senior Citizens Forum has condemned what it calls sensational and salacious media reports on the death of prominent Abuja activist, Yunusa Ahmadu Yusuf, also known as Buhun Barkonun, who died on Saturday.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been in a state of mourning and outrage following the death of the prominent native rights activist and political figure, reports Daily Trust.
However, the natives’ anger is not just about his loss; it’s directed at sensational and salacious media reports that they claim are deliberately trying to tarnish the legacy of a man who fought tirelessly for them.
Initial reports from some media outlets, which cited unnamed police sources, claimed the 39-year-old activist, who was also the Senior Special Assistant on Community Development to the AMAC chairman, died during a “sex romp” in a hotel in the Karu-Jikwoyi area on Tuesday, September 8.
The reports, which also detailed his consumption of alcohol and an energy drink, have been fiercely condemned by community elders, associates, and family members.
Elder Danjuma Tanko Dara, the coordinator of the FCT Senior Citizens Forum, voiced the community’s fury in an impassioned address to journalists.
He said, “This is a character assassination of the highest order, a deliberate attempt to soil the name of a man who can no longer defend himself.”
He added, “The dead cannot speak. They cannot rebut lies or correct narratives. To tarnish Yunusa’s image in this manner, to reduce his entire life to a few salacious lines in a newspaper, is not just journalism at its worst; it is a profound sin against our culture and the memory of a warrior.”
He insisted, “Let us speak of the man we knew. Let us speak of Buhun Barkonun, the man who fought tirelessly for the interests of the original inhabitants of Abuja.
“He was our voice in the corridors of power, a champion for our land rights, our culture, and our rightful place in this city that has grown on our soil. We are proud of him, even after death, and we will not allow this legacy to be erased by vile gossip.”
The late activist was buried at Gudu cemetery in Abuja yesterday after a church service that was attended by prominent natives of the FCT.
