Who Was Mum-Zi – The Youngest Grandmother in the World?

Mum-Zi was just eight years and four months old when she gave birth to a baby girl in 1884.

From Nigeria, on an island called Akwa Akpa, now known as the city of Calabar, Mum-Zi’s daughter followed her mother’s footsteps, becoming a mother at the age of eight years and eight months thus making Mum-zi the youngest Grandmother in the world.

Over the years, it has not been uncommon to find young parents out there but what is perhaps unusual is to find young teens – as young as 17 – as grandparents…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

In recent times, most people at that age are looking to complete their education or to graduate from high school. The thought of even becoming a parent is rare, thus, having grandchildren is often out of place.

But this was not the situation for Mum-Zi and her daughter, as well as, other young girls in the 19^th Century.

According to Lyall Archibald’s 1936 book, The Future of Taboo in These Islands, Mum-Zi was a member of Chief Akkiri’s harem in Akwa Akpa (now Calabar), who would later be the father of her daughter.

Since the 16th Century, Calabar had been a busy international seaport, shipping out goods such as palm oil.

Historical accounts state that during the Atlantic slave trade, it became a major port in the transportation of African slaves, with most slave ships being owned by Bristol and Liverpool.

Some missionaries would later record the challenges of poor water supplies, malaria, and the presence of some tribes who were sometimes not too welcoming to evangelists and other slave traders.

What was common, however, was the fact that chiefs kept a harem of wives and slaves.

The harem is basically a female backyard or household largely reserved for princes and lords of this world.

This private space has traditionally served the purposes of maintaining the modesty, privilege, and protection of women.

In most parts of Africa and elsewhere, a harem, in terms of royal harems of the past, may house a man’s wives and concubines, as well as, their children, unmarried daughters, female domestic workers, and other unmarried female relatives. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Mum-Zi was one of the many women and girls who lived in a harem belonging to Chief Akkiri. After giving birth at 8 years and four months, with the chief being the father, her daughter would also become a mother exactly eight years later. She was reportedly impregnated by the same chief who happens to be her father.

She gave birth at an age slightly older than that of her mother’s, as she was 8 years plus 8 months. Nevertheless, this remains one of the shocking moments in history.

Ever since the 1700s, a number of cases have been highlighted to show how girls and women across the world suffer just because of their gender.

Among these forms of gender-based violence is child marriage, which denies children the right to be children and take away from them the opportunities for education and a better life. It also exposes them to risk of violence at the hands of their usually older and powerful husbands.

A recent report by Girls Not Brides revealed that globally, more than 700 million women alive today were married as children and 17 per cent of them, or 125 million, live in Africa.

It added that about 39 per cent of girls in sub-Saharan Africa are married before the age of 18 and all African countries face the challenge of child marriage.

According to the report, Niger has the highest number of child brides, with three out of four girls married before they are 18.

The Central African Republic follows. There, the legal minimum age for marriage is 18, however, girls can get married at 13 years if it is approved by a court and/or if the girl is pregnant.

In some cases, earlier marriage is allowed if a parent consents to it. At third place is Chad, which has a rate of 67 per cent.

Some of the drivers for child marriage in these countries are poverty, upholding social and religious traditions, as well as, conflict, which forces many parents to consent to child marriage as a way of protecting their girls from violence and sexual assault.

Culled from Face2Face Africa

If you find this story about the youngest grandmother in the world interesting, kindly drop a comment below and share on social media.

On the 15th of January, 1966, the first coup in Nigeria was staged by a group of Nigerian soldiers led by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu.

The bloody coup which toppled the democratic government of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa led to the death of some key political figures including Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa himself, Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh (the Finance Minister), Chief Ladoke Akintola (Premier of Western Region), Sir Ahmadu Bello (Premier of Northern Region & the Sardauna of Sokoto) and his first wife, Hafusatu Ahmadu Bello.

Ahmadu Bello’s first wife, Goggon Kurya Hafsatu bint Abdulkadir Maccido, was the daughter of the Waziri of Sokoto whom he (Ahmadu) married in 1932…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

Former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Gidado Idris, who as at then was the personal secretary to the late Ahmadu Bello recounted his January 15, 1966, coup experience. In an interview with Weekly Trust on his 80th birthday in 2015, he recalled how Kaduna Nzeogwu Killed Ahmadu Bello and his wife during the course of the coup.

The Coup

“On the 14th of January, 1966, the evening before the tragedy, at about 8:00 pm, late Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa called and wanted to speak to the late Premier. He was free, so I put him through. Afterwards, the Premier called me and he said he wanted to know the extent of his indebtedness to shops where we used to collect things, like Kingsway, Bhojsons, et cetera, where we had account.”

“At about noon, he called me and his ADC, Aliyu Kangiwa and asked us to go around to see his new office, so the three of us went. Generally, he was happy with it. Earlier, he had been told that the Premier of the West, Samuel Akintola, was coming to see him but the arrival was still some time away. So, he decided not to go to the airport and went to the mosque for Friday prayers, after sending a minister to receive S. L Akintola. All this was during Ramadan.”

“At about 3:00 pm, we were told that Premier of the West had arrived and was on his way to General Usman Hassan Katsina House in Kawo, which was meant to be the Sardauna’s new official residence and office. When he arrived with his entourage, I remember Remi Fani-Kayode was with him, as well as other ministers.”

“Akintola said he had come to see the Premier and to find out from him whether he was aware that the army would take over the government the following day. The Sardauna said he heard about it but has left everything in the hands of God.”

“Akintola then said he had come with a plane, so they could go someplace like neighbouring Niger, where his best friend was then the president. The Premier rejected it and said those who were asking for the government’s removal did not bring it to power in the first place. He said ‘I won’t leave my people in their hour of need to run away and take shelter somewhere else’. He then advised Akintola that since he was certain that it was going happen, to go back to his people and brief them to get prepared to fight. Akintola took the Premier’s advice and returned to Ibadan.”

Idris said after Akintola left, it was too late for Bello to go and play his favourite game, Fives. He then decided to drive around the GRA and Kaduna south before Iftar time (the breaking of Ramadan fast).

“We got into a car, one of the long ones with seats facing each other. It was driven by Alhaji Ali Kwarbai (Ali Sarkin Mota), the Sardauna’s chief driver. He was with his friends and I sat facing them. We were not discussing anything and the driver just drove around and later returned home just in time for the breaking of the fast,” he said.

“You have to understand the work of the Premier then was a 24-hour affair, no Saturdays or Sundays off. If we left our homes in the mornings, we normally returned after midnight and that is why most of our children at that time didn’t even know who we were. We were out of our houses by 5:00 am because we couldn’t afford to go to the Premier a minute late.” READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Later That Night

“Later that night, after breaking of the day’s fast, the famous musician, Dan Kwairo, was around till about 10.30 pm, as he had come to entertain the Premier. Of course, we were tired and grumbling but there was nothing we could do. He played till about 11:30 pm when suddenly the late Alhaji Ali Akilu, who was the Secretary to the Northern regional government, then-Commissioner of Police M.D Yusuf and Brigadier-General Samuel Ademulegun, all three of them, came and went straight to the office asking to see the Premier. The Premier, sighting them, left us and decided to go and meet them. They met for about half an hour, then they left.”

“When the Premier came out, Dan Kwairo was still playing but he called it a night and went upstairs to write his Sallah address and go to bed, as we were to go to Sokoto the following morning.  We were chatting and noticed it was getting late and the Premier had still not sent for us, so we decided to go home.”

“When we came out, we were not aware that by then soldiers had already taken position around the compound. I was living at Doka Crescent then and as I left the Sardauna’s house, a siren blared.”

“We used to test it from time to time to see if it was working and I thought that was what was going on. But then I saw the then-deputy Commissioner of Police, an Idoma man whose name escapes me, heading in the direction of the Premier’s house, as did late Haruna Musa, the Principal Secretary’s security detail. But I went home, as I didn’t think there was any problem.”

Ahmadu Bello told Nzeogwu: “I am the one you are looking for.”

“Abubakar Umar, the Sardauna’s Private Secretary, who was on a visit from Kano and was accommodated in the guest wing of the house, heard a loud noise and saw the chaos from his room with soldiers everywhere. He quickly called the Private Secretary to the Premier, Ali Akilu who told him what was happening, that it was perhaps a coup. Akilu quickly dressed up and drove to M.D. Yusuf’s house. Five minutes after he left, soldiers stormed his own house and asked after him but his wife told them he went to Zaria for a meeting, so they left. The telephone call by Umar saved him.”

He said there was nobody else in the house.

“Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu had all of the Premier’s wives, servants and wards brought out and asked them to sit down on the floor. Nzeogwu himself demanded to know who Ahmadu Bello was and there was a resident of the house who looks a little like the late Premier but wasn’t as tall. He came out and said he was the one, but they knew he wasn’t. The soldiers said if they were not told who Ahmadu Bello was in the group, they would shoot everyone.”

“The Premier, who was among them, got up and said ‘I’m the one you’re looking for’, prompting his three wives to come to his side, distraught. When the soldiers were about to kill Ahmadu Bello, two of the wives stood up, leaving the first wife who said if they must kill him, then they must kill them together. He was shot, along with her, as they embraced each other. They left the body where we found it.”

“The whole place was deserted. All the ministers had left. We decided that the best thing was to get his body removed to the house of the Sultan of Sokoto in Ungwan Sarki. When we did, it was prepared for burial and that was where he was buried.”

Gidado Idris

Gidado Idris later became a permanent secretary in Kaduna state from 1971 to 1975, secretary of the constitution drafting committee in 1975, secretary of the constituent assembly that produced the 1979 constitution and clerk of the national assembly in 1979.

On October 17, 1995, late Sani Abacha, then head of state, appointed Idris as SGF, a position he held till May 28, 1999 when Nigeria returned to civil rule. He died in December 2017.

Who Was Dr Ishola Oyenusi?

Ishola Oyenusi, popularly known as Doctor Oyenusi, was a notorious armed robber who terrorized the people of Lagos and other neighbouring cities in the 1970s. Ishola Oyenusi and his gang of six were highly skilled in snatching cars, robbing banks, factories, stores and killing people like chickens.

Was Ishola Oyenusi Really A Medical Doctor?

Dr Oyenusi, as he was called, was not a doctor by profession but adopted the title for the fun of it. The evidence lies in a confession he made few minutes before his execution…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

He confessed that his parents were not capable of furthering his secondary school education and that was what forced him into robbery. So without having a secondary school education, Oyenusi by no way could have been a medical doctor.

Oyenusi’s Robbery Exploits

Oyenusi started off his robbery career by snatching a car (whose owner died in the process) just because his (Oyenusi) girlfriend needed some money. It was claimed by some sources that Oyenusi was romantic.

He sold the car at the price of N400 and gave the money to his girlfriend. It was also said that Oyenusi was hot-tempered and quite arrogant. During his arrest, he thundered down on a police officer who was ushering him around. He said, “people like you don’t talk to me like that when I’m armed, I gun them down!”

Doctor Ishola Oyenusi came into the limelight after the Nigerian civil war ended in 1970. He robbed banks and people in both daylight and night, and he never let any of his victims live to see another day; he killed them all! This earned him the name “Doctor rob and kill“.

At the height of his horrific reign, Ishola Oyenusi bragged that “the bullet has no power“. He probably forgot that he who live by the sword will surely die by the sword. Oyenusi was so infamous that he was regarded by some people as the “first celebrated armed robber in Nigeria“, and after him was Lawrence Anini, Babatunde Folorunsho (Baba oni lace), Shina Rambo, Buraimo Jimoh and others.

Ishola Oyenusi’s Arrest

However, nothing lasts forever, and as the Yoruba adage says, everyday belongs to the thief while a day belongs to the owner.

On the 27th of March, 1971, Oyenusi was nabbed by the police during one of his robbery operations in which he and his notorious gang killed a police constable named Mr. Nwi and stole $28,000 as at then. Cloud of shame hovered above Doctor Ishola Oyenusi as he was casted before the law and found guilty then sentenced to death by firing squad.

Oyenusi confessed that he was not to die alone because he did not commit the crimes alone.

He vomited the names of other members of the gang which included: Joseph Osamedike, Ambrose Nwokobia, Joel Amamieye, Philip Ogbolumain, Ademola Adegbitan and Stephen Ndubuokwu.

Back then, public execution was the order of the day, so when Oyenusi was ushered to the popular Bar Beach in Lagos where he was to be executed, over 30,000 Nigerians were happily and excitedly waiting to see the man who had terrorized them get riddled by hot bullets. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

It was said that some civil servants even brought a coffin to the execution ground to mock the once mighty robber kingpin who was now nothing but a scapegoat whose breath would be exhausted in any moment.

Ishola Oyenusi’s Execution

Trucks carrying Oyenusi and his executors arrived at the execution ground around 10:am. Doctor Oyenusi, his gang members and one other criminal got down slowly.

People jeered and booed them, especially Oyenusi who they had really trooped out to watch die. Oyenusi donned a dark long-sleeve shirt and had his hands tied behind him.

He was sweating profusely but managed to smile all the way to the stakes. He kept smiling, smiling and smiling but could still not hide the agony and terror written boldly on his face.

Few minutes before he was shot, Oyenusi told journalists that he would not have ventured into armed robbery if his parents were capable of sending him to secondary school.

He also said, “I am dying for the offence I have committed“. Oyenusi and other criminals were fastened to the stakes. The soldiers lined in front of them and aimed their ever-ready guns. Some of the criminals yelled their last words of protest at the cameras. Then a loud voice let out the word “fire”! Oyenusi and other criminals’ bodies were sprayed with bullets.

That was the bitter end of Ishola Oyenusi who lived by the bullets and died by the bullets. The execution of Doctor Ishola Oyenusi sent the streets of Lagos deserted at night. Families locked themselves behind doors for the fear that some of Oyenusi’s boys might retaliate.

This fear lasted long that even in 1977, the veteran movie director, Eddie Ugbomah, called for actors to play the role of Oyenusi in a movie he was about to produce titled “The Rise and Fall of Dr Oyenusi”, but no actor was brave enough to step forward to play the role.

They all feared that Oyenusi’s boys might show them pepper. Eddie Ugbomah had no choice than to play the role of Oyenusi himself. In the movie, he revealed the secrets of top Nigerian officials and military men backing Oyenusi and his gang by providing them money and weapons.

As expected, Eddie Ugbomah was threatened and later, his store was looted. He was told in a letter to stop shooting the movie and everything would be returned to him. But Eddie Ugbomah proved not to be a coward by eventually releasing the movie in 1977.

In recent times, a Nollywood actor, Odunlade Adekola, also released a movie (Oyenusi) detailing the life of Ishola Oyenusi, the most notorious Nigerian armed robber.

The name Ishola Oyenusi will forever be remembered in the history of crime in Nigeria.