“They Let Him Die on a Wheelchair”: El-Biddeen Slams Media Indifference Over Death of Veteran Journalist Haruna Dauda Biu

By; Abdullahi Inuwa 

In a heartbreaking tribute laced with condemnation, Comrade Abubakar El-Biddeen has decried the neglect suffered by late veteran journalist, Mallam Haruna Dauda Biu, who died after a prolonged illness — abandoned, forgotten, and confined to a wheelchair.

El-Biddeen, in a moving statement titled “They Let Him Die on a Wheelchair”, described Biu’s death not only as a personal tragedy but as a damning reflection of a system that discards its own once they’re deemed no longer useful.

“Haruna Dauda Biu gave over three decades of his life to journalism with tireless dedication, passion, and integrity,” El-Biddeen wrote. “Yet when illness struck, the very media organization he served with pride offered no support — not economic, not moral, not even a token gesture to his family.”

According to El-Biddeen, the late journalist continued to live with grace despite his condition, feeding orphans, receiving visitors, and managing his household with dignity. But the silence from the institution he loyally served made his final days even more painful.

“He died with his body broken, but the real tragedy was how his spirit was abandoned,” El-Biddeen lamented. “Even in death, he retained dignity — something those who turned their backs on him failed to uphold.”

He commended a few compassionate colleagues and friends who stood by Biu until the end, noting that “theirs is the humanity that should be admired.”

El-Biddeen’s powerful message ends with a prayer: “May God forgive his shortcomings, perfect his legacy, and grant him Aljannatul Firdaus.”

The emotional outpouring has sparked conversations about the treatment of media veterans in Nigeria and the urgent need for institutional support structures for journalists during and after service

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