by Hauwa Gambo

The nation has been in mourning for the entire week over the victims of the #DanaCrash os Sunday, June 3, 2012 – both the 153 on the aircraft and those who died on the ground in Iju, Lagos. One of the more harrowing stories was that of the Anyenes, who came from the United States to visit Nigeria for a wedding.

Maimuna Anyene brought her family into Nigeria for the wedding of her brother, Ndako – which went ahead yesterday. The National Mirror report of the story is below:

Ndako Mijindadi yesterday went ahead with his marriage despite the fact that his sister and members of his family died in last Sunday’s Dana Air crash while heading for Lagos to attend the wedding.

Ndako, brother to Maimuna Anyene, who died with her four kids, husband, mother and other relatives got married, despite the ac-cident that claimed his sister last Sunday. The odd develop-ment is even stranger as the family which died had come to Nigeria to attend that wedding. Nine members of the family died in the Dana Air crash.
Ndako went ahead with his wedding to Halima at The Incubator, on Victoria Island, Lagos barely a week after their death.

The invitation message to the wedding read: “Please join us on Saturday, 9th June as we hold prayers for our family members who have been called back to God. The prayers would hold at the Incubator (near Four Points) Victoria Island, Lagos at 9am.

The Fatiha for Halima and Ndako would hold by 11am at Number 10, Mayaki Usman Street, off Wole Ariyo Street, Lekki Phase 1 (re-freshments would be at the Incubator afterwards). May God reward you for your love and support. Thank you”.

Daughter of Professor Ndanusa Mijindadi of Ah-madu Bello University, Maimuna, attended primary school in Zaria and com-pleted secondary education at Queens College, Lagos. She proceeded to the University of Ibadan (UI) where she studied Economics, gradu-ating in 2001 with a second-class (upper) degree.

Despite being a Muslim, she married a Christian, Onyeka Anyene, a lawyer who has offices in Abuja and Lagos. The Anyenes had four children: Kamsi (two years old), twins Kayna and Kayne (one-year-old), and Kamal, also known as Noah (seven-month-old), who all died in the crash.

A source disclosed that they had travelled to Nigeria to visit with her husband, who lived mostly in Nigeria. “She also came to attend the wedding of her younger brother, Ndako, scheduled to take place in about a week’s time – on June 9.”

We pray that they find some joy in the midst of this terrible tragedy.