Bilkisu Yusuf

A stampede occurred at an intersection in Mina, Saudi Arabia on September 24, 2015, at about 9 a.m. The crowds were on their way from Muzdalifah to Jaramat, where pilgrims cast stones at pillars to symbolize the stoning of the devil during the Hajj. From there they would head to the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Over 2,000 pilgrims were trampled to death during the stampede and almost 200 of those were identified as Nigerian citizens. Bilkisu Yusuf was identified among those killed by the stampede. Other prominent Nigerians who were trampled to death in the stampede include Professor Tijjani El-Miskin.

Nigeria is a country in West Africa. Their society has strong patriarchal ties, which leads to much discrimination against women. They also have a problem with extreme poverty and drugs. Boko Haram in 2014 abducted 219 Chibok school girls, which brought worldwide attention to efforts to rescue the girls. However, about 100 were found in April–May 2017.

Yusuf's higher education was in both political science and journalism. She earned her bachelor's degree in political science at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria; her master's degree in political science and international relations from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin, United States; and an advanced degree in journalism from the International Journalism School at Moscow State Institute of International Relations in Moscow, Russia, in 1986.

Bilkisu Yusuf was a journalist for the Daily Trust and Leadership newspapers in Abuja, Nigeria. After her return from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she became the first female editor at the Sunday Triumph, Kano, from 1983-1987. She also held the title of editor at the New Nigerian, Kaduna, in 1987 and Citizen Magazine, Kaduna, in 1990. She was known for her column "Civil Society Watch". She was active in The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), which mentored young female journalists in Nigeria.

Bilkisu Yusuf, also known as Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf, (December 2, 1952 – September 24, 2015), was a Nigerian journalist, columnist and editor for prominent newspapers in Abuja, Kano and Kaduna, Nigeria. She is known in Nigeria for being the first woman to direct a national newspaper operation and served as editor for two more. She was a Hausa, Muslim, feminist, and advocate for interfaith society, who was known for being an adviser to the Nigerian President on International Affairs and the founding of NGOs, such as Women In Nigeria (WIN) and the Federation of Muslim Women's Association (FOMWAN). Yusuf was killed in the 2015 Mina stampede while on Haj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Bilkisu Yusuf was born December 2, 1952. She advanced from her primary education at Ansar Primary School, Kano in 1964 to secondary school at the Government Girls College, Dala, Kano.