Who is Mumtaz?
Mumtaz is her given name, chosen by her father in honor of his own mother. Her father, Malam Abdullahi, is originally from Bauchi State, and their family has long been involved in the roofing material trade, which is their primary source of livelihood.
Unexpectedly, their father experienced a financial downturn, which caused great distress in the family. The reason for this downturn was linked to Malam Abdullahi’s father, Alhaji Jibrin, who had a close friend from Maiduguri named Alhaji Bukar. Alhaji Bukar dealt in livestock trading between different towns.
One day, Malam Bukar visited his friend Alhaji Jibrin and observed the success of his roofing material business. This sight troubled Alhaji Bukar, as he wondered why Jibrin should be more successful than him. Driven by jealousy, he developed a strong animosity towards his friend Jibrin and resorted to using witchcraft to strip him of his wealth. He succeeded, and soon everything Jibrin touched turned into a loss. From that time on, Alhaji Jibrin, Abdullahi’s father, fell into severe poverty, to the extent that even his clothes began to deteriorate and he had to wait for them to dry after washing before he could wear them again.
One day, while searching for work at a wealthy man's house, Alhaji Jibrin heard the cry of an infant near a trash bin by someone's door. Initially, he intended to walk past, but then he turned back and discovered a beautiful baby girl, as lovely as an Arab child, abandoned there. Trembling, he picked her up and brought her home. He showed the baby to his wife, Adama, the mother of Abdullahi. Since Adama was his only wife and Abdullahi their only child, she was overjoyed and embraced the baby girl wholeheartedly.
Abdullahi, for his part, declared that this baby girl was the only one he loved in the world. His father named her Maryam. From a young age, Abdullahi adored her, and whatever he acquired was primarily for his sister, Maryam. As they grew older, this affection evolved into deep love, much to the delight of ther parents.
