FROM RAHILA ABDULLAHI, KADUNA
Crisis is brewing in Fadiya Tudun Wada Village in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State, following a disagreement on the mode of the burial of a 70-year-old woman.
AljazirahNigeria reports that Bakam family in Fadiya Tudun Wada is bracing up for a major quagmire over the mode of their mother’s burial who died almost two years ago.
The disagreement erupted between the children of the late septuagenarian on whether or not to bury her according to Bajju tradition.
This had led the family to litigations before two courts in the state which ruled that the corpse be buried outside instead of inside a room as done to her husband.
The two courts affirmed that the customs and tradition of Bajju community, which stipulates that only a person who had lived for a 100 years or holding a traditional title could be buried inside a room.
Despite appeals by the traditional ruler and elders of the area for the children, who are bent on burying their mother inside a room, to obey the tradition, they vehemently rejected the plea and went ahead to bury the late woman near her husband’s grave.
Addressing a press conference at the weekend, one of the children, Emmanuel Bakam, who insisted that they should follow the traditions of Bajju clan, alleged that some powerful people had given directives to law enforcement agents in the state to make sure that the tradition is jettisoned, hence their full involvement in the burial on Saturday at the village.
Few members of the family have appealed to the authorities to intervene and allow them bury their mother according to their culture and religion, insisting that any attempt to desecrate Bajju native law and custom could ignite a crisis.
Emmanuel said the family is saddened that for one year and eight months after the death of their mother, her burial rites had generated controversy and disgrace.
Accompanied by elders and traditional rulers from the village, Emmanuel said the entire family is sad that a legacy built on Christian virtues had been plagued by needless crisis due to the uncooperative attitude of some family members who despite all pleas, refused to listen to the advice of elders over the issue.
“The crisis began immediately after the death of our mother on September 15, 2023 at 44 Nigerian Reference Hospital, Kaduna, when my siblings denied the elders who are the custodians of Bajju native law and customs, access to the corpse of our mother to perform her burial rites.
“Being her next-of-kin and the first son of our late mother, I have also been denied access to her corpse even against the express directives of a court of competent jurisdiction to that effect after several litigations,” he said.
Emmanuel recalled that when their father died about four years earlier, their mother was coerced and manipulated, leading to their father being buried in the sitting room of the house he built in the village, which the community elders frowned at, because he did not live up to 100 years, making it a violation of Bajju tradition.
“To allow peace to reign against all odds, I regrettably entreated and pleaded with the elders and the community graciously acceded to my request, which was unprecedented but with a caveat.
“However, when our mother died too, she was not up to 100 years of age and Bajju tradition stipulates clearly that someone can only be buried inside his or her room after clocking 100 years of age or holding a traditional title.
“And with the Kaduna State government trying to discourage burials in residential areas, this particular attempt to forcefully bury our late mother in the sitting room under the guise of the need to bury her beside our late father, whose own burial was earlier done in error and under coercion, is untenable,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the situation has led to serious tension in the town, as the people have deserted the village out of fear.
As at the time of this report, the children of the late woman were still at daggers drawn, with no one capable of predicting what would follow, a source close to the area told journalists.
