Yakubu Lame, ex-police affairs minister, is dead

Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, a minister of police affairs during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is dead.

Lame, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was said to have died on Saturday night, at a Turkish hospital in Abuja, where he had been on admission for some weeks.

He has since been buried in the federal capital territory (FCT), according to Islamic rites.

Senate President Bukola Saraki has mourned the death of Lame.

In a statement signed by Yusuph Olaniyonu, his special adviser (media and publicity), Saraki expressed sadness over his demise.

He described Lame as “an astute educationist, parliamentarian and a patriotic Nigerian who played leading roles in the socio-political development of the country.”

“Senator Lame was a man of many parts. He rose from humble beginning into national limelight. His contributions to the upliftment of the nation’s education, party politics and the Nigeria Police remain legendary. We shall all miss him,” Saraki said.

The senate president added that the deceased would “be remembered for his humility, hard work and philanthropy.”

Lame, a governorship aspirant in Bauchi state, held the traditional title of ‘Santurakin Bauchi’, until his death.

He was elected a senator in the botched third republic in 1992, and was appointed a senior special assistant by Obasanjo in 1999.

He later became the minister of police affairs during the late president Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration.