…Burial Fixed For Friday
SAN FRANCISCO, April 24, (THEWILL) – The death of the longest serving Chief Imam of Borno State, Imam Ibrahim Ahmed, has been announced. A family statement signed by Alhaji Zannah Laisu Imam, on Thursday, said the Chief Imam, died on Wednesday in Egypt , at the age of 90, following a protracted illness .
He will be buried in Maiduguri on Friday following the arrival of his corpse from Egypt on Thursday.
He is survived by three wives, many children, grand children and great grand children among whom are Air Commodore A T Imam, Zannah Laisu Imam, Kashim Imam Ibrahim, among others.
Born in 1924 in Yerwa , Maiduguri to the family of late Imam Ahmed Talib, the late Chief Imam started his career as acting Chief Imam between 1951 and 1956 and was subsequently appointed the Chief Imam of Borno in 1956 by the 17th Shehu of Borno, Shehu Kyarimi El- Kanemi, after the death of his father, Imam Mashidima.
The deceased became the longest serving Chief Imam of Borno after serving for 63 years as no other Imam has ever served that long since the Sayfawa dynasty to the El-Kanemi dynasty of the Borno Empire.
As a result of his deteriorating health, Imam Ahmed in 2010 decided to hand over the direction of the Friday congregational prayer to his son, Alkali Baba Imam, who unfortunately died in July 2013, thus making his other son, Alhaji Zannah Laisu Imam, now the District head of Masba in Konduga Local Government Area to take over as the acting Chief Imam to date.
Reacting to his death, the state governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, in a statement by his Special Adviser Media, Isa Gusau, described the late Chief Imam as one of the very strong pillars of Borno whose demise will be eternally missed especially at a moment when the State is facing challenges that require the prayers and leadership guidance of great men like the late Chief Imam.
Shettima described the late Imam as a “rallying point who helped in uniting Borno people through his spiritual guidance and mediation on religious matters as someone that led Muslim worshipers in congregational prayers for over 50 years.”
The governor said the late Imam played a crucial role in laying a solid foundation in the course of justice and the advancement of the state’s legal system.
In the same vein, the Minister of State for Power ,Hon Mohammed Wakil, described the late Chief Imam as a great scholar and devoted muslim, praying that Allah should grant him aljanatul firdaus.
“The best way to immortalise the late Imam is to continue to pray and work collectively to restore peace to our state. We submit to the will of Almighty Allah,” Wakil added.
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