Gombe emir dies at 45 — after spending 16 months on throne

Mu’azu Kwairanga, emir of Funakaye, Gombe, has died at the age of 45.

Abubakar Barde, a resident of Funakaye, told TheCable that the emir died of a heart attack in the early hours of Sunday.

He was appointed in 2021, by Inuwa Yahaya, governor of Gombe, to succeed Abubakar Kwairanga, his late elder brother and former emir.

“He died of a heart attack around 12 am on Sunday,” Barde said.

“Mu’azu Kwairanga was a father to all, he showed love to the people of Funakaye.

“Indeed, we have lost a great leader. His burial will take place this afternoon by 2 pm in Bajoga, Funakaye LGA of Gombe.”

Mu’azu Kwairanga is the third emir of Funakaye and spent over one year on the throne before his death.

In a statement on Sunday, Governor Yahaya expressed grief over the demise of the emir.

Yahaya described the traditional ruler’s death as a monumental loss not only to his emirate but to the entire state and nation.

“Gombe State has indeed lost one of its finest traditional rulers, who worked relentlessly with other royal fathers in the state and offered counsels and fatherly guidance for the peace, unity, growth and development of the state in particular and Nigeria as a whole,” the governor said.

He described the late emir as a humble, decent and down-to-earth traditional ruler, who cared for his subjects as well as the unity and progress of the state, describing his 16-month reign as remarkably eventful.