The Grandson of the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Mr Hassan Danbaba was on Saturday confirmed dead.
Danbaba, who was aged 50, died in Kaduna after he slumped in his hotel located in the State capital on Saturday morning.
The deceased was said to be in Kaduna to condole with the former National Security Adviser, General Aliyu Gusau who lost his elder brother recently.
After the condolence visit, the late Danbaba reportedly checked into his hotel. He later slumped in the hotel room and was rushed to the nearby Nigerian Army Reference Hospital where he was confirmed dead on arrival at about 11:30am.
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Shortly after his death, the corpse was brought to the Kaduna state government House where Governor Nasir El-Rufai arranged for a private aircraft to fly the corpse to Sokoto state for burial according to Islamic rites.
Danbaba, before his death, was one of the Kingmakers in Sokoto Caliphate and held the title of Magajingarin Sokoto.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Government has arranged for Danbaba’s remains to be flown to Sokoto, where he will be buried in Hubbare, a royal compound that has a cemetery specially preserved for the legendary Sheikh Othman Danfodio and his progeny.
This was according to a family member, who added that Danbaba ‘was one of the kingmakers in the Sokoto Caliphate. He was not only one of the most influential northerners; he was the Head of the Sokoto kingmakers.’
The source added, ‘He (Danbaba) was in Kaduna to condole with another influential northerner, Lt Gen Aliyu Gusau (retd), a former National Security Adviser and Minister for Defence, who recently lost his elder brother.
‘Danbaba checked into his hotel, Stonehedge, in Kaduna. He dressed up preparatory to meeting General Gusau in his house and for two of them to head back to Abuja before he slumped and died in the hotel room around 11.30am.
‘His panicky aides rushed him to the 44 Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna. He was declared dead on arrival.
‘A devastated governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, ordered that his body be evacuated to the Government House for airlift to Sokoto for the funeral. He will be buried at a cemetery reserved for royal leaders, Hubbaren Shehu.’
Africa Today News, New York recalls that his grand father, Sir Ahmadu Bello was the first Premier of the Northern region who was one of the victims of the January 15th, 1966 mutiny by soldiers in what appeared to be the first ever coup in Nigeria’s history.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK