Mu’awiyah Abba Zumo zooms Into martyrdom
The Silent Achiever Who Walked Lightly, Worked Deeply and Departed Suddenly – The Periscope Global Publishers, Konngol SylverTongue Mourn
By Adamu Muhammad Dodo
Phone calls drifted in through the quiet of the night -persistent, insistent – yet many went unanswered. Some phones had been set to silent for nightly supplications, reflection, study or much-needed rest. Others rang against a “user busy” tone. When voices could not reach their destinations, messages took their place. Brief, trembling lines of text carried the weight of an unfathomable loss, slicing through the calm of dawn with news that felt too heavy for the morning to bear: a noble journey had ended before its earthly destination.
On Thursday, he had offered warm farewells to friends and to his younger brother. An intellectual engagement scheduled between them was deferred, “until I return from Abuja,” he would say. He was to join an entourage as secretary, ever committed, ever dependable.
On Friday, he bid goodbye to his family, unaware, like everyone else, that this parting would be his final earthly farewell. The trip, taken in a private vehicle, was gentle and unhurried. From Yola, Mu’awiyah was in high spirits: lively, articulate, sprinkling his usual warmth into conversations that kept the journey cheerful.
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Near Keffi, at about 1am, as the travellers paused briefly to refresh before entering Abuja, he stepped out to stretch his legs. In those fleeting moments, fate unveiled its decree. His companions rushed to support him, hearing upon his lips the blessed words that illuminate a believer’s final moments. At Abuja, he was taken to Wuse Hospital, where life’s quiet curtain was confirmed to have descended.
By Saturday, the news of his passing reverberated far and wide. The Muslim community, especially Adamawa indigenes in Abuja, converged in solemn honour at the National Mosque, where funeral rites were observed after Zuhr. He was committed to the earth in the Federal Capital Territory, far from home but surrounded by brothers in faith.
Mu’awiyah Abba Zumo lived a life that blended humility with brilliance, quietness with remarkable impact. A former Adamawa Emirate Information Officer, he retired earlier this year as Chief Orientation and Mobilisation Officer (COMO) of the National Orientation Agency, Yola South office, concluding decades of public service at age 59.
A proud son of Zumo District in Song Local Government Area and a distinguished alumnus of the University of Maiduguri, he was an associate member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Adamawa State Council. As an alumnus of the Konngol SylverTongue Media and Language Training Institute (Class of 2016-B), he stood out, not by loudness but by depth. His service as an editorial member of The Periscope Global Publishers immortalised him among those who cultivate minds, refine narratives and shape the next generation of thinkers. His wisdom enriched the Periscope Global Language and Communication Skills Programme, where he nurtured young creative talents with patience, insight and sincerity.
His footprints extended beyond the newsroom and classroom. As a community leader and devoted mobiliser, Mu’awiyah championed unity, peace and responsible citizenship. Through Tabbital Pulaaku engagements, he actively resisted profiling and divisive rhetoric. In various reconciliation platforms, including Creating Thinking Minds, Building a Bountiful Society of Great People, and the Adamawa Muslims Peace and Unity Forum (AMPUF), he served as a voice of calm amidst discord, a bridge where fractures threatened cohesion.
To me, Mu’awiyah was not merely a colleague. He was an elder brother. Our bond – woven through the friendship our late parents shared – blossomed into a lifelong fraternity. Those familiar with this closeness came to share condolences, knowing that the grief carried a deeply personal weight.
He is survived by his wife, six children, and siblings, loved ones whom he cherished, guided and quietly uplifted.
A gentle light has returned to its Source.
A silent achiever has stepped into the eternal quietude of his Lord.
And the world, for a moment, pauses-
because a good man has passed through it,
leaving it softer than he met it.
May Allah Subḥaanahu Wata’aalaa forgive him, envelop him in Mercy, illuminate his grave, and grant him Jannatul Firdaus.
Ameen.
Dodo, the publisher of The Periscope Global writes from Yola.
