Encomium
Many years after the mysterious disappearance of veteran journalist, Bagauda Kaltho, his wife, Martha has insisted that there are possibilities her soulmate whose whereabouts is still surrounded with controversies since 1997, may still be alive. Kaltho, who was a journalist with The News Magazine, has been missing after he was allegedly declared wanted dead or alive by the government of late General Sani Abacha.
Mrs. Kaltho was a guest on Who Deserves To Be A Millionaire (WDTBAM), a popular TV show produced by Ultima Limited where she won N1 million. She describe life without her husband in this chat and why she won’t remarry.
How would you describe the circumstances that led to your husband’s disappearance and how is life without him?
Let me start like this, we got married in September 29, 1990. When we got married, he was working with The NEWS magazine. Throughout our stay, we were happy. We stayed peacefully and we enjoyed our togetherness. God blessed us with two children, both female.
The first one is Anne James Bagauda, the second one Lessi James Bagauda. When we got married, we were staying apart because of his work. He was mostly in Kaduna, while I resided in Biliri, working with the National Orientation Agency. We usually meet whenever he had the chance, once in a month or twice. He came home from Kaduna in 1996 for Christmas and told me while departing that he would be coming back around February.
Before then, some of his friends had told me that the government wanted him dead or alive, I was afraid. I was scared and I told him to be very careful. That was during Abacha’s regime. So, after the Christmas celebration in December 1996, he went back to Kaduna. By February, I waited for him, he did not come. I was afraid as I knew there was this information about him being wanted by the government.
When I did not see him, I decided to ask some of his friends who could not tell me his whereabouts as well. Some of his friends asked me to wait until April during Easter celebration that they would come home and furnish me with whatever information they have. Unfortunately, when they came, there was no one who knew his whereabouts, so I went to his office in Kaduna, but there was no positive response.
In fact, the people in Kaduna gave me the impression that I was the one that alerted them because all along they believed he was in a hideout. My complaint now came to be a sort of revelation. They went searching for him. I was also searching for him. Whenever I heard that some of the detainees were released, I would always be there to check for him but without success.
So, when the Human Right Violation Commission set up by the government gave us the opportunity to complain, we narrated what happened and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. The then government representative said they didn’t know anything about it, instead they told me he died in Durban Hotel, Kaduna.
They said there was a bomb blast there and that he died there. I was surprised to hear that because since they knew he was dead, what prevented them from telling his relations, especially me, his wife or his parents. We were not informed and it was surprising. Since that time till date, there has been no news again about it. Is he alive? Did they kill him? We don’t know. That was how I continued praying with my two children.
Any plan to remarry?
I don’t believe Kaltho is dead because his body, which can serve as the evidence, has not been produced.
I am no longer interested in remarrying. What if James (Bagauda) appears tomorrow? Why must I share his love with another person? Would another man love me the way he did? Would he love my children the way they should have been loved?
What is your plan for your prize money?
The N1m prize money I got from the show will be used to complete a house I am managing to build.
