Mohamed Atta
Atta was born on September 1, 1968, in Kafr el-Sheikh, located in Egypt's Nile Delta region. His father, Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta, was a lawyer, educated in both sharia and civil law. His mother, Bouthayna Mohamed Mustapha Sheraqi, came from a wealthy farming and trading family and was also educated. Bouthayna and Mohamed married when she was 14, via an arranged marriage. The family had few relatives on the father's side and kept a distance from Bouthayna's family. In-laws characterized Atta's father as "austere, strict, and private," and neighbors considered the family reclusive. Atta was the only son; he had two older sisters who are both well-educated and successful in their careers — one as a medical doctor and the other as a professor.
Mohammed Arzika
Mohammed Arzika was born in Tambuwal, Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Nigeria on 21 April 1943 to Alhaji Usman Nabungudu and Hajiya Bilikisu. He attended Tambuwal Primary School from 1951-1953, Sokoto Middle School from 1953- 1955 and Provincial Secondary School (Nagarta College) from 1955-1961. He also attended Barewa College from 1962-1963 and Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Institute of Administration where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from 1964- 1967.