12/12/2025
Zaria Massacre| Two Little Angels Silenced by Bullets, A Decade of Grief for Shahida Fatima and Fauziyah
By Shamsudeen Adamu Alshirazy
ABS Radio– 12th December, 2025
Ten years have passed since the tragic events of the 2015 Zaria Massacre, yet the wounds remain fresh in the hearts of families, friends, and all who witnessed the brutality unleashed on innocent lives. Among the countless victims whose stories continue to echo through time are two young sisters, Fatima and Fauziyah whose lives were unjustly cut short by men of the Nigerian Army under the command of those in power during that dark December, a period still remembered with anguish and disbelief.
Fatima and Fauziyah were more than names on a list of casualties; they were daughters, sisters, and shining lights in the lives of those who knew them. They were part of the peaceful gathering of members of the Islamic Movement, who had come together to exercise their rights, to worship, and to stand in unity. Instead, they were met with violence, violence that forever altered the course of their families’ lives.
For many, the memory of that day is chilling, but for those closest to the victims, it is a personal nightmare that refuses to fade. The moment when a bullet struck the head of young Fatima remains one of the most disturbing scenes ever witnessed.
It is a memory carved deeply into the heart of those who stood helplessly nearby, an image that symbolizes the cruelty of oppression and the heavy cost of tyranny. Fauziyah, too, fell victim to the same rain of bullets, her life stolen before she could fulfill the dreams she carried within her young and hopeful heart.
Their deaths are not isolated tragedies, they represent a generation of innocent souls whose blood was spilled in a nation that should have protected them. Their stories stand as testimonies to the consequences of unchecked power, and the injustice that occurs when human life is treated as expendable. The leadership that oversaw the massacre may have changed, but the echoes of that violence still demand justice, accountability, and remembrance.
A decade later, their families continue to live with the void left behind. The laughter of Fatima and Fauziyah no longer fills their homes, yet their spirits remain present, inspiring resilience and courage. Their memories have become symbols of fortitude for a community that refuses to forget, refuses to be silenced, and refuses to allow their deaths to be buried beneath political narratives.
Today, as we reflect on their lives, we honor not only their memory but the collective suffering of all who were affected on that tragic day. We remember their innocence, their beauty, and the love they brought into the world during their short time here. Their legacy is not one of despair, but one of hope—a hope that one day justice will prevail, that truth will be acknowledged, and that such brutality will never again stain our nation’s history.
Fatima and Fauziyah may be gone from our sight, but their light continues to shine in the hearts of all who loved them. Their memory will live forever.
©ABS Radio