For more than 50 years, one family has dedicated itself to maintaining the largest cemetery in Nigeria’s northern city of Kaduna – thanks in large part to other residents who don’t like dealing with the dead.
Until a few weeks ago, they did this without formal pay – digging graves, washing bodies and tending the vast cemetery, receiving only a small donation from mourners for their labor.
The vast Tudun Wada cemetery was earmarked by the authorities a century ago for the city’s Muslim residents.
The Abdullahi family became involved in the 1970s when two brothers, Ibrahim and Adamu, started working there.
Both siblings are now buried under the soil in the cemetery, and their sons have become the chief custodians of the cemetery.
Ibrahim Abdullahi’s eldest son, Magaji, told the BBC when asked, “His teachings to us, to his children, were that God loves service and will reward us no matter what we do.” Why not get worldly benefits.” Unpaid workers
The 58-year-old is now in charge of Todenwada – shepherding operations and 18 staff members or, more recently, volunteers.
He and his two younger cousins ​​– Abdullahi, 50, and Aliu, 40, (sons of Adamu Abdullahi) – are three full-time workers, reporting until 07:00 for 12-hour shifts, seven days a week.
They always need to be on call because, according to Muslim rites, burials must be arranged within hours of someone’s death.
