Pantami was Imam when ATBU Muslim Community issued Fatwa, Killed my Son – Prof Samuel Achi

A former lecturer of Industrial Chemistry at the Kaduna State University, Professor Samuel Achi has disclosed that embattled Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Ali Pantami was the Chief Imam of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Mosque when his son was strangled in a mosque on December 9, 2004.

Samuel in an interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday explained that his son by then was 24 years old and a 400 level student of Architecture at the ATBU and was killed based on allegations over sharing tracts that contained blasphemous content.

He further revealed that at that time his son was the leader of the students l’ fellowship of the Evangelical Church Winning All Ministry stressing that his son was never even involved in all of those acts libeled against him but however, the Pantami Led Muslim community at the University pronounced a ‘Fatwa’ on his son.

Following this, he said that his son was killed by the Muslim Students who then threw his body off ATBU mosque, adding that with the intervention of the then governors of Kaduna and Bauchi state he was able to retrieve Sunday’s remains.

The Prof said, “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.”

Reacting further, he explained that though he has forgiven everyone involved in the killing but said that the killing wouldn’t have manifested if Pantami 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.”

The Prof was asked specifically if he was aware that Pantami was the Chief Imam at the ATBU mosque at the time that this pitiful act was perpetuated, though, he did not want to reopen the memories but he said, “Of course yes, it is all over the place, I don’t want to go back on that.”

“We are not surprised to hear news out of it. We have actually forgiven everybody involved in his killing,” he added.

However, when contacted, Uwa Suleiman, Pantami aide, debunked the claims against the Minister saying that they were not true but he further declined comments on the matter.

He said, “The allegations are not true. Do your research but the allegations are not true.”