EXCLUSIVE: How FCT Indigenes Decry Attack On Late Activist Yusuf

The indigenes of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Tuesday condemned alleged media attempts to tarnish the image of late activist and political aide, Yunusa Ahmadu Yusuf, popularly known as Buhun Barkonu. .. Read ..Full.. Article.. .

Yusuf, who died on September 8, was the Senior Special Assistant on Community Development to the Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Christopher Zakka Maikalangu.

However, addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the Coordinator of the FCT Senior Citizens Forum, Elder Danjuma Tanko Dara, said reports suggesting that Yusuf, 39, died during a “sex romp” in a Karu-Jikwoyi hotel amounted to character assassination.

Dara said the report was a grievous insult to the memory of a man who, he said, “spent his life fighting for the rights of Abuja’s original inhabitants.’’

“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.

“The dead cannot speak. They cannot refute 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 added.

Dara urged the public to remember Yusuf’s work as Senior Special Assistant on Community Development to the AMAC Chairman and his years of advocacy for land rights, cultural preservation, and political inclusion of Abuja natives.

“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,” Dara said.

He further described Yusuf as “a man of conviction” whose impact should not be reduced to speculation about his final moments.

“To remember him only for the way he died is an insult to every project he championed, every life he touched in these communities. Let the police do their job, but let the media and the public do theirs with a sense of humanity and respect,” Dara cautioned.

He stressed that his legacy should be assessed through his contributions to the FCT’s indigenous population, not through scandal, and..  Read . .More —