Chief imam of Lagos dies at 79

Akinola Ibrahim, chief imam of Lagos, is dead.

He reportedly died around 5pm on Sunday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

Ibrahim, aged 79, was turbaned as the 9th chief imam of Lagos central mosque in 2000, after the death of his predecessor, Alade Ibrahim, in 1998.

Ibrahim worked with the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc before he was appointed the religious leader.

He will be buried according to Islamic rites on Monday.

Akinwunmi Ambode, the state governor, in a statement by Habib Aruna, his chief press secretary, described the deceased as “fair, bold and a bridge builder”.

He said: “It is with deep sense of great loss but total submission to the will of God that I note the demise of the chief imam of our dear state, Alhaji Garuba Akinola. He was indeed a respected cleric who was always mindful of his integrity and used his sermons to engineer positive changes in the behaviour and character of his followers,” Ambode said.

“He was indeed a respected cleric who was always mindful of his integrity and used his sermons to engineer positive changes in the behaviour and character of his followers.

“He was a devout Muslim, humanist and bridge builder and would be remembered for his fairness, boldness and thought-provoking sermons.

“On behalf of my family and the people of Lagos state, I like to specially commiserate with the immediate family of the deceased and the Muslim community for this great irreparable loss.”