Vintage Ali Kwara: An Electrifying Tribute to a Legendary Icon
By Bello Mustapha
AREWA AGENDA – I got to know Ali Mohammed Kwara while he was in Gamawa Secondary School as a young hunter, who goes to the bush to hunt with friends and dogs to come back with rabbits and deers to be cooked and shared among friends in school. Even at that young age, there was something very unusual about the man. He was tall, highly charismatic with Greek god features and was of Yemeni descent and his father was alive then, and I had seen my father with his dad conversing on so many occasions.
My father once told me that Ali’s dad had confessed to him that Wannan yaron Ali ba mutum bafa (This boy Ali is not human oh). This was because even as a toddler he always found a way to crawl under the gutter path of their family house at night and he would be found under a tree outside the compound. This Ali confirmed to me in one of my conversations with him so many years ago.
He became a very rich merchant that deals with hides and skins and his house was always a beehive of activities during the Eid Kabir celebrations because he usually bought the skins of all the rams and cows slaughtered in Azare and the neighbouring towns. He later became one of the biggest contractors in the history of Bauchi State.
Almost every Government in Bauchi State engaged him in executing contracts especially construction works because Ali never compromised on any contract given to him. He has an ongoing work, the fencing of ATBU permanent site that stretched to a lot of hectares of land on the Bauchi Airport road. I passed along the road some weeks ago, and my friend that always picked me from the airport, Babangida Ya’u will call my attention to the quality of work being executed by Ali Kwara, saying Ali was a very honest man that will never indulge in anything that will soil his reputation. It was better for him to execute a contract at a loss than compromise standards. That was vintage Ali.
He was the biggest individual crime buster that was the nemesis of Armed robbers, bandits, kidnappers and other anti social elements in the history of Nigeria. This is no exaggeration. He had on so many occasions been hired by state governments to come to their rescue whenever such states were in dicey and dangerous situations in line with insecurity that had defied all solutions. He had never failed in such adventures and ultimately making him one of the most powerful and popular people in the country. He was SA security at one time to the FCT minister and some States in the country. I learned some months ago before he became critically ill, he spent weeks in the bushes of Kafin Madaki, Bauchi state to rid the state of some kidnappers that wanted to settle there.
He had in the course of his activities of nearly 4 decades, captured and killed a lot of hardened criminals that became nuisances to the society and had also rehabilitated a lot of them who were remorseful, married them off and so many of them worked for him using their networks to track and arrest other criminals. One of his regrets was the non cooperation he got from the security agencies because anytime he arrested criminals, they were usually released and continued with their nefarious and criminal activities afterwards.
Ali Kwara aka Baushe and Jarmai Katagum spent his hard earned money running into millions of naira just to get information on criminals, hence his success in apprehending them. A lot of myths had been circulated and narrated on him having super natural powers, but he debunked all those stories by saying it was based on the information’s he received from his informants who he paid heavily, and the strategies he adopted before embarking on any mission to arrest criminals that made such missions successful, not any hyped extra ordinary powers he had. He had spent millions of his personal money just to buy recharge cards for his informants, and this just the least of what he did just to get information.
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You will always cherished a conversation with his boys who he trained on hunting expeditions who later metamorphosed along with the security personnel attached to him as the biggest criminal bursting outfit in the country to appreciate the legendary Ali and his fearless, bold and courageous temperament as a person.
One true story that stuck with me for a long time was when Ali and his boys encountered a buffalo in the bush in one of their hunting expeditions, and Ali Kwara ordered all his boys to line up behind him with some of them climbing trees to run away from such a dangerous animal. The buffalo ran towards them and Ali grabbed it by the horns with the buffalo flinging Ali in the air and Ali hanging to the horns, while shouting at one of his boys named Auwal to shoot at the animal.
Auwal was so terrified that in attempt to shoot at the buffalo, he shot Ali on his laps which made him to be limping up till the time of his death. They were able to kill the buffalo and brought the dead body at the back of his truck to azare to the baffling of Azare people. I later learnt he kept the horns of the buffalo as a historic souvenir in his house. I could not believe this story until it was narrated to me by the man himself in one of our conversations. This is just one of the dangerous encounters he experienced in the course of his hunting activities.
Our town was relatively peaceful because of the fear criminals had for Ali Kwara and I am afraid of our vulnerability in his absence. Whenever you travel outside azare and people got to know you were from azare, they always enquired about Ali Kwara and his wellbeing. He put azare on a higher pedestal with his extraordinary bravery, astonishing and exceptional courage in his activities that were acknowledged even outside the country. I believe the Almighty Allah that gave us Ali will not leave us to our devices at this scary moment in our history.
Mohammed Ali Kwara, Baushe and the Jarmai of Katagum had played his part and it was a role that was not for the lily livered and I can confidently say he’s the most courageous, fearless human being that I have ever seen, heard or come across in my life. He made sacrifices upon sacrifices so that we will sleep with our two eyes closed, and for this we thank him and we will never forget him.
I was in the hospital when I heard about his death to pay my last respect and it was because of the unprecedented positive role he played in the society and the respect he commands that a Presidential jet was made available to convey his body to azare for burial. The President also sent a high powered delegation yesterday to azare to condole and commiserate with his family over such incalculable and irreparable loss. A letter of condolence personally signed by Mr President was also sent to the family. Mohammed Ali Kwara, Jarmai Katagum (Warrior of Katagum) was a recepient of countless awards including Honorary Doctorate Degrees from reputable Universities for his services, contributions and Humanitarian causes across the country and beyond.
The relatives, poor men and women, widows, the children in the orphanages and the streets that you took care of through feeding, shelter, schooling and clothing will be the witnesses of your good will on the day of judgment in shaa Allah.
The sleepless nights you had to endure to make sure we had a decent society where everyone is free to live peacefully, untroubled and undisturbed with dignity and respect will intercede for you on the day of judgment in shaa Allah.
The criminals you reformed, refined and rehabilitated by offering them shelter, salaries, family life’s to become very useful members of the society, will bear witness of your exemplary character on the day of judgment in shaa Allah.
May Allah SWT forgive your shortcomings, inadequacies and trespasses and grant you the highest form of Aljannat firdaus. Ameen!!!!!!!”
Arewa Agenda is a Publication of young writers and journalists from Northern Nigeria towards Peaceful Coexistence and National Development through positive narratives.
