‘How prank call led to BBC report which accused me of divorcing my wife’
Shock and confusion had hit the small hamlet of Anguwan Gero last week when a BBC interview featured a voice alleged to be that of one Abdullahi Yadau, explaining how he pronounced divorce on his wife for insisting she would vote for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhammadu Buhari.
The voice had narrated how Abdullahi’s support for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, had led to a domestic squabble in which he assaulted his wife to the point of knocking out her teeth, and later divorced her in the presence of her parents.
His account to the BBC was not faulted by a man alleged to be his wife’s brother who gave his name as Ibrahim Suleiman. Ibrahim had gone ahead to tell the BBC that they had wanted to ‘deal’ with Abdullahi but were held back by their father but vowed that their sister would not return to her husband.
For most residents of Anguwan Gero in Munbutbo ward, Garga district of Plateau’s Kanam local government area, the thought that Abdullahi whom many perceived as responsible and hardworking could do such, was shocking. The story had gripped the nation with several politicians from the two divides either applauding or castigating the couple, depending on the political side.
Abdullahi himself had been confused and even afraid for his life after the interview aired. The 32-year-old whom many teased as being one of President Buhari’s strong supporters had on two occasions fled his home. But there was more to the report, as Daily Trust Saturday travelled to the remote village of Anguwan Gero and discovered. It soon became clear that Abdullahi’s family and the BBC had both been victims of what appeared to be a prank call by two men resident in the hamlet.
The mastermind of the prank, known as Khamisu Maidankali, who is now on the run, was an ardent BBC listener who often contributes reports to the radio station, Abdullahi and some elders of the community alleged. “Maidankali is used to calling BBC, there was a time when windstorm destroyed part of the village and he alerted the BBC and they used the report,” said Abdullahi Ahmad, a village elder.
Ahmad, however, explained that Maidankali was mentally unstable, linking his condition to an incident 13 years ago, when he and his father had been ambushed by a gang of motorcycle-riding robbers. The young Maidankali, it was said, had watched as the robbers slaughtered his father.
Ahmad’s account was corroborated by another elder in the village, Muhammadu Sani, who said “even though the incident happened years ago, it had affected Maidankali because one minute he may appear normal, then the next he does something abnormal.”
“Sometimes when you are having a discussion with him, he would either exaggerate issues or he could go off-tangent. But the BBC is not aware of this problem because they have in the past featured him in reports,” he claimed.
Getting to Anguwan Gero was an uphill task. A three-hour journey from Jos to Dengi, the headquarters of Kanam local government areas was only half of the journey. Passing through forest areas, several rural communities and manoeuvring gently around sandy trails on a motorcycle had taken two hours to finally arrive at Anguwan Gero; a hamlet locals say is a 10-minute walk to Gajinduguri in Alkaleri local government area of Bauchi State.
Madaki Rabiu Muhammad, an advisory member of the village head’s palace said with a population of about 4,500 people, Anguwan Gero is approximately 600 years old.
It was here that Saturday’s correspondents found both Abdullahi and his wife at home. Fatima, who was at the time bathing one of the couple’s three kids to get him ready for afternoon classes, immediately set the record straight, telling our correspondent that her name was not Hafsat, as stated in the BBC report.
Fatima Abdullahi, who is in her 20s, wasted no time in expressing her displeasure at the fact that a negative, untrue report about her marriage had travelled far and wide. With a faulty radio set at home, Fatima said both she and her husband did not listen to the BBC report but were only besieged by a flood of sympathizers and angry acquaintances.
“We have been married for seven years, I felt the report was an attempt to disgrace my marriage,” she said, adding that, “my husband and I live peacefully and happily, we have never invited a third party