I hope to meet my mum in heaven someday
–5-yr-old son of teacher butchered by her pupils in Gombe
•Five years after, tears still flow in the family, reports SEYE OJO
From Our reporter
Monday, April 09, 2012
• The late Christiana
Photo: Sun News Publishing

More Stories on This Section

Five years ago, she was brutally murdered by her own pupils at the Government Day Secondary School, Gandu, Gombe, where she was a teacher. With her murder, the two children of Mrs. Christiana Oluwatosin Oluwasesin were permanently prevented from growing up to know their mother.

The fundamentalist Islamic pupils at the school deprived Temilade and Oluwatoba of the opportunity to enjoy the special care their mother would have bestowed on them. Temilade, a girl, and Oluwatoba, a boy, who were two years old and ten months old when the pathetic incident occurred, are now seven and five years old respectively.

The untimely death of Christiana, however, has turned the breadwinner of the family, Mr. Oluwafemi Oluwasesin, to play a dual role of a father and a mother to the children in the past 60 months. She was mercilessly murdered on March 21, 2007 and her remains were interred on March 24 of the same year.
The tears that began to flow in the family close to 2, 000 days ago have not ceased. The family asserted that the tears would probably dry up when the Federal Government has done justice on the gruesome murder of the god-fearing and dedicated teacher who would have clocked 36 this year if the pupils she tried to create a bright future for had not cut her throat with a knife.

At a short remembrance ceremony for the deceased last week, a gloomy silence pervaded the Abeokuta home of the Oluwasesins. The widower and his children shed bitter tears as they sat thinking about the absence of their wife and mum. In an emotion-laden voice, Oluwasesin explained how the family commemorated the fifth anniversary of Christiana’s death. According to him, “all we did when we woke up was that we gathered and prayed for the family and the departed mother. Then, the children went to their school. Victoria Temilade is now in primary three and her younger brother, Emmanuel Oluwatoba, is now in primary one.

The two of them are serious with their studies.”
Several visits to the family confirmed the seriousness of these children with their studies. They are usually glued to their books under the supervision of their father. Even on the day they marked the fifth year anniversary of their mother’s death, the children were met reading their books after returning from school.

Temilade told our reporter: “I was very sad when my father told me how my mother was killed in Gombe State. I felt a great pain within me and I still feel the pain. In 2007, I thought that my mummy would come back. It was long before I realised that when a person dies, the person does not come back to the world again. “But I thank God for the kind of life she lived. I learnt she died a martyr for Christ. I was told my mother was fond of going out to preach the word of God. I feel lonely each time I remember her, especially at night.”

The young girl who started shedding tears at this point remarked: “Were I to be an adult and present when my mother was being killed, I would have volunteered to die for her. I would have insisted that they should kill me to spare my mother’s life for being a mother among mothers. I have resolved to live for God like my mum.”

Oluwatoba believes his mother had fought a good fight of faith, adding that he hopes to meet her in heaven one day. “My mum is right in heaven. And I hope to meet her again when I get to heaven at my old age,” the little boy stated.
The late Christiana was mobbed and her lifeless body incinerated by the pupils on the very day she was to bid farewell to the school. She was to leave Gombe for Abeokuta in Ogun State to join her husband who had secured an appointment for her at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta. She had also prepared to resume work in Abeokuta as an infirmary administrative secretary.

On the fateful day, Christiana, a Christian, had to supervise the pupils of Senior Secondary School One for their Islamic Religious Knowledge examination. As the examination progressed, she caught a female pupil, Fatsuma, copying answers from a book carefully concealed in a newspaper.

Piqued by the development, Christiana collected the exhibit from Fatsuma and threw it away. She did not know that the materials were slips of the Hadith and Qu’ran. Before she knew what was happening, the chants of Allahu Ahkbar! Allahu Ahkbar! (God is great) rent the air in the school. Christiana quickly reported the matter to the principal, Mallam Sadiq Mohammed. She also informed her husband who was in Abeokuta about the pandemonium.
Christiana’s husband was said to have contacted the police authorities immediately he got the call. A team of policemen that stormed the school to maintain order could, however, not save Christiana’s life from the angry Muslim pupils baying for the teacher’s blood.

The principal who had hid Christiana in his office was later forced by the rampaging crowd to release the helpless woman for some jungle justice. They had threatened to destroy the office. As soon as he delivered her into their hands, the furious pupils gave the Christian teacher a beating of her life, stripped her naked and tied her with a rope.
Thereafter, the pupils burnt her car, and a 12-year-old boy brought Christiana’s life to an end as he cut her throat with a knife. The pupils who were yet not satisfied then took their turns to stab her. They later burnt the woman with the spare tyre of her own car.

The then 10-month-old Emmanuel was the next to be killed by the pupils but God was with him. A woman hurriedly hid the baby under her flowing hijab and smuggled him to safety. However, Oluwasesin confessed that the family is still waiting for the Federal Government to ensure that justice is done on the death of his deceased wife. The spirited efforts to ensure justice in the case, he said, have been to no avail. He averred that he had been under pressure to forget the matter.

His words: “I have received calls from someone who threatened that if I did not want to lose my life and those of my children, I should forget the case. I have reported the case to the security agencies. It is also not true that the former governor of the state, now a senator of the Federal Republic, who was in power when the incident happened, visited our family and gave us N10.5 million. No one has visited us, and no one has given us a kobo. Those media reports are not true.”

He continued: “I think at this point, the National Assembly should wade into the matter to assuage the trauma in my family, cushion the effect of the gory incident in the lives of the kids and ensure that justice is done. With that, it will be realised that human life is sacrosanct and that you cannot just kill your fellow man like a chick. I’m ready to appear before any committee if invited.”

Devilish monsters.

Make sure you let the viewers of your youtube post know your full name and address. If possible, you phone number as well. Good Luck with your "wipe azz" thing you want to do.

Nah. Salman Rushdie to this day has to deal with crazy allahu akbarish nitwits. And he can afford better security/protection than I can.

Best simply to release a video of me using the Koran as toilet paper anonymously..

Poor kids. I still remember the day I read of this incident years back.
I think that was the day I decided non of my family will go live in the core-north under no matter what.

She was killed by a 12 year old and many other young boys/girls. So this is what they teach them at the koranic school,how to kill. My advice to christian teachers/corpers in the northeast/northwest,if those kids are copying/cheating in exams,allow them,it wont take them anywhere,dont let it prick your conscience,just do your little and leave their north for them.islam is a religion of violence.dont be deceived because you have one or two nice muslim friends.those guys can play with you in the morning and kill you in the afternoon.

payless:

Make sure you let the viewers of your youtube post know your full name and address. If possible, you phone number as well. Good Luck with your "wipe azz" thing you want to do.

I have not seen any of the groups inflicting physical and emotional pains on innocent people give their full name, address and phone numbers.That is to say no group have the monopoly of evil thoughts, any fool can make bombs in this age, kill as many people as he can and claim responsibility.

I cry for this country,what kind of generation are will bringing forth. A generation of violent in name of religion.imagine a 12years old boy killed his teacher.It is high time, the truth must be told that Islam is not a religion of peace as we are made to believe. U can tear or burn a bible an average christian will leave u to God and go his or her way.Our musilim brothers should learn to be tolerant with their religion. They should learn to leave issues to God rather than fighting for God. God can fight for Himself. Enough of this madness in name of religion. Nigeria cannot grow or develop.if we are still fighting ourselves.

may her soul rest in peace!

Its been 5 years since this woman was killed.how about the killers? The principal who gave her up to those killers?it pains me that the day she was killed was supposed to be her last day in that school.its obvious her christian faith made her a hate figure in that school. Her murder may have been planned,from the story,I believe she had enough time to escape from that school just that the needed assistance from her colleagues and other staff of that school was not there.

violent:
. .and there are still nutters who believe his farce must be a religion of 'piss'?

but it is not a laughing matter though. it is hard to relate the behavior of Muslims and Christians with PEACE and Tolerance

One Nigeria.
Please, my people, we are one. Yoruba and Fulani are blood brothers. We are one and the same. East, West, North, South. Please, do not question our beloved master Lugard. He knows best, and I trust this is the reason our great father in heaven chose him to lead us.

As for our beloved prodigal 12 year old Fulani brothers who perpetrated this dastardly act, do not harbour hate for them, but forgive them and pray that God touches their hearts so they can come out and confess.

Now, please come hold my hand, and let us sing a song.

What was a native of Abeokuta doing in Gombe State?

Fact is,the northern and southern part of this country are not meant for each other, it's like a marriage between two people where the husband is educated and more civilized and the wife is uneducated, arrogant, nagging and unwilling to learn.
Fact is, let there be a SNC and let's cut the crap. Let it be a "to your land o Israel". Check history of Nigeria, there has never been a recorded case of a northern Muslim man murdered in cold blood for the purpose of religion, NONE!...but we have countless scenarios of Christians made into martyrs.
You know why SNC will not be declared?
1. The few who believe in unity will uphold it, but fact about those people is that they are in power, call some shots, and they are living in fallacy.
2. The northerners themselves know for a fact that without the south's economic and intelligence buoyancy they will die of economic and intellectual starvation.

BUT there will be an SNC if:
1. One singular group with enough resources and manpower do what needs to be done, SNC will hold in 30 days, am telling you.
2. If there is a poll of citizens who support SNC.
3. If the case is taken to the World Court. Sue the government, not the Presidency, the government, sue them.

That's what I think. There is no ear that will look at the staggering evidence and not be convinced of an SNC.

This is so terrible!

And the OP would call himself Hausa muslim, LOL Iddeiotic Igbo again

alj harem: And the OP would call himself Hausa muslim, LOL Iddeiotic Igbo again

Typical shameless Northerner dodging the issue and attacking the straw man. I guess God designed illiteracy specially for your miserable pauper tribe

alj harem: And the OP would call himself Hausa muslim, LOL Iddeiotic Igbo again

Mai gida address the issue mana. leave the poster's origin even if it is likely an emotional post

Ejiné:

Typical shameless Northerner dodging the issue and attacking the straw man. I guess God designed illiteracy specially for your miserable pauper tribe

Can you shut it, why not start a topic of someone killing other instead of "Wicked muslims"

You see how ideeiotic it sounds ?

otokx: What was a native of Abeokuta doing in Gombe State?

she was working as a teacher.She had already worked out her plan of leaving the north to rejoin her family in abeokuta.The day she was killed was supposed to be her last day with that school.

may Allah have mercy on the teacher.there is no sane muslim who would support or justify what those insane and misguided students did.

i really felt very bad reading the article.my sympathy as a Muslim goes to the children in particular.i pray to Almighty Allah that they find the strength and courage to grow up and become good future leaders and successful in their lives.

when reading the thread,i also felt very bad when i read the comments of members here.i feel this woman's throat is slit twice if you insult islam or blame muslims for the barbarity those students in the north showed.all those here issuing the disgusting comments forgot that it was a Muslim woman with her flowing hijab who hid the woman's baby boy (Emmanuel) and saved his life.why do people (and i must say fanatical christians) attribute the sins of criminals who are far off from islam to islam and hold muslims to ransom;but when a muslim (like the woman who saved Emmanuel) do good and commendable acts,they refuse to reason that the good act is as a result of an islamic and god-fearing upbringing the person receives? such people are fanatical and no different from the misguided criminals who killed their teacher.those criminals should be fetched and punished.

Only ignorant muslims [believe me, we have a ton of them] will behave like the animals in human clothing in the above story.
If Allah preserved my life and I settle in Nigeria, I shall get me big guns to protect my community, including the christians among them.

Quran, when you disposed it off, you burn it.
When you are not supposed to cheat, if you did, using Quran as guise for your evil deed, even at the tender age of the secondary school students in the story, they themselves disrespected the Quran. What do they expect non muslim authority to do?

Muslims should lead by living a good example life if we want to be taken seriously. Slaughtering humans as if it is easy to raise the life back up is the most unIslamic act and the ignorant will not consider Allah Who they shout His Akbar. Allah says it has been commanded that taking a life is like killing all mankind. And when one life is saved, it is as if the whole humanity is saved.

Alhamdulillah. Nothing interest me about the north. I am too old for the adventure of Abuja, anyways. I pity those who kill the creations of Allah without appreciating the Mercy of Allah over all of us.