Suntai, former Taraba gov, is dead

Danbaba Suntai, former governor of Taraba state, is dead.

According to Sahara Reporters, Suntai died at home where he was undergoing rehabilitation for brain injuries from the plane crash he was involved in 2012.

The news website said Emmanuel Bello, a former commissioner of information in the state, confirmed the report of Suntai’s death.

The 55-year-old came into politics in the late 1980s, when he was elected chairman of Bali local government, and led the people from 1989 to 1993).

He rose through the ranks in the Taraba state civil service, where he eventually became the director-general of the Taraba state ministry of agriculture and national resources from 1994 to 1996.

In 2012, Suntai was piloting a Cessna 208, 5N-BMJ, owned by the state government, which crashed in Yola, Adamawa state, leaving the governor in a critical state of health.

He was flown out of the country for further treatment after emergency aid at a private hospital within Adamawa.

A year after the crash, the governor was still said to be recuperating from a severe brain damage.

“We thank God, not only for saving the life of His Excellency, but also healing him of the injuries sustained in the plane crash,” Garba Umar, Suntai’s deputy at the time said a year after the crash.

“As we pray God to perfect the healing of our leader, we declare that, our commitment and dedication to his vision and master plan for the transformation of our State remains unflagging.”