The original inhabitants of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have condemned online media reports detailing the circumstances of native rights activist Yunusa Ahmadu Yusuf’s death.
They demanded respect for his legacy and focus on his lifelong advocacy.
The initial reports, which cited unnamed police sources, claimed the 39-year-old senior special assistant on Community Development to the AMAC chairman, popularly known as Buhun Barkonun, died during a “sex romp” in a Karu-Jikwoyi hotel on September 8.
This narrative has been met with fury from community elders, associates and family members, who argued that it was a deliberate attempt to reduce the influential figure’s life to salacious gossip.
The coordinator of the FCT Senior Citizens Forum, Elder Danjuma Tanko Dara, in a press briefing yesterday after the burial of the activist, voiced the community’s collective outrage in an impassioned address.
“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 rebut lies or correct narratives. To tarnish Yunusa’s image in this manner is not just journalism at its worst; it is a profound sin against our culture and the memory of a warrior,” he said.
Dara forcefully shifted the focus from the hotel room back to the communities where Yusuf built his reputation as a tireless advocate.
“Let us speak of the man we knew. Let us speak of Buhun Barkonun, the man who fought tirelessly for the interest 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. We are proud of him, even after death, and we will not allow this legacy to be erased by vile gossip,” he said.
Yusuf was a complex figure who gained national notoriety as a vocal critic of the 2020 #EndSARS protests within the FCT, a stance his supporters say was rooted in his specific advocacy for his community.
Dara further issued a plea for dignity, “He was a man of conviction. To remember him only for the way he died is an insult to every project he championed. Let the police do their job, but let the media and the public do theirs with a sense of humanity and respect.”
