2004 ATBU Killing: I Have Never killed Or Issued Directive For Killing — Pantami
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has strongly denied allegations circulating on social media linking him to the 2004 killing of Sunday Achi, a student of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi.
Pantami issued the denial on Tuesday in reaction to a post by an X user, @escobo123456, who accused him of being involved in the death of Achi, a 400-level Architecture student allegedly killed by a mob on campus two decades ago.
The user, identified as Sodiq, wrote:
“You that killed a student in ATBU, you’re now forming holier-than-thou. Ori e ti daru Pantami.”
Pantami dismissed the allegation as “100% untrue,” insisting he had never been involved in or directed any killing.
“Thank you for saying your mind. You are making an allegation that is 100% untrue. I have never killed or directed anyone to kill anyone in my life, either directly or indirectly,” he wrote.
He urged anyone with evidence to assist the family of the deceased by taking the matter to court.
The former minister also challenged his accuser to provide proof or reveal verifiable personal information so he could initiate legal action.
“Alternatively, if you are strong enough, provide your full details so that I can take you to court for the false allegation,” he added.
Pantami criticised reliance on AI-generated information, warning that such online data could be inaccurate.
“Grok and other AI you depend on get input from available information online. It could be wrong many times. If you are sure of your allegations, take the matter to court. Otherwise, let us have your verifiable details… to take you to court for the allegations.”
The online exchange revived public interest in a 2021 PUNCH interview with Professor Samuel Achi, father of the late student.
Achi recounted that his son, who was a leader in a Christian students’ fellowship, had been accused of circulating a tract allegedly containing blasphemous content an allegation he insisted was false. He stated that his son was strangled inside the ATBU mosque in the early hours of December 9, 2004, and his body later found outside the building.
He also noted that the then governors of Kaduna and Bauchi states helped recover the corpse.
While acknowledging that Pantami served as Chief Imam of the ATBU mosque at the time, Achi did not directly accuse him of ordering or participating in the killing.
“As a Christian, my belief is that even though they killed him by pronouncing a fatwa against him, he was doing God’s work,” Achi said. “God has comforted us and we have been able to forgive everybody that committed that terrible act. But the blood of my son would always haunt whoever has a hand in killing him.”
The grieving father, sounding reluctant to revisit the painful incident, confirmed he was aware of Pantami’s role at the mosque then but refused to draw conclusions publicly.
“Of course, yes, it is all over the place; I don’t want to go back on that,” he said.
