Bilkisu Yusuf was born December 2, 1952 in Nigeria. At school, she focused on political science and journalism and would eventually graduate from Ahmadu Bellow University in Zaria, Nigeria with a BA in political science, University of Wisconsin-Madison with a masters degree in political science and international relations, and the International Journalism School at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations with an advanced degree in journalism. She was a journalist for two newspapers in Nigeria and after completing her Masters Degree, she became the first female editor at the Sunday Triumph at the young age of 29. She was also engaged in a civil society watch and mentored young female journalists in Nigeria. She advised the Nigerian President in international affairs and she also founded a number of NGOs across the country, including the earliest feminist organization in the country, as well as organizations dedicated to Muslim women and health reform across the country. She was also active in the Bring Back Our Girls movement, dedicated to the safe return of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls. In 2015, while in Saudi Arabia for Hajj, Bilkisu was a victim of a stampede, which occurred as the crowd was on their way to Jaramat, where they would cast stones at a pillar to symbolize the stoning of the devil. She was one of 2,000 pilgrims trampled to death that day and one of 200 Nigerians. Across the country of Nigeria, politicians, activists, and journalists spoke out about her death, mourning the loss of such an incredible woman.