Former security chief and presidential aspirant, Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi, is dead.
He died in a London hospital on Wednesday.
Shinkafi, former boss of the defunct Nigerian Security Organisation (NSO), was a Federal Commissioner of Internal Affairs in 1975 and a presidential aspirant during the Third Republic.
After passing the Police College examination in Kaduna, he joined the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in 1959.
In 1973, he graduated from the University of Lagos and a year later, graduated from the Nigerian Law School.
In the Third Republic, Shinkafi was a leading light.
He was one of the promoters of the Nigerian National Congress (NNC), a political association formed in 1989 after the administration of former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, disbanded political groups.
The NNC later fused with the National Republican Convention (NRC).
On Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari commiserated with family members on the passing away of Shinkafi.
Buhari described Shinkafi as a practical politician, administrator, technocrat and an expert whose contributions to the development of the security architecture of Nigeria remains indelible, adding that others carried on where he left off.
The President recalled that the former Federal Commissioner of Internal Affairs and security chief played frontline roles in the activities leading to the eventual return and enthronement of democracy in the country.
He called on family members, friends and associates of the departed community leader, who held the Marafan Sokoto traditional title, to take solace in the fact that the late Shinkafi played the parts assigned to him diligently, conscientiously and patriotically, enjoining them to emulate the good virtues that he left behind.
Buhari prayed that Almighty Allah will grant the soul of the departed eternal rest.
Also, former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, expressed shock over Shinkafi’s demise.
According to the former governor, the late Marafan Sokoto was a perfect gentleman and a patriotic statesman, who was committed to the cause of a just and fair society.
In a statement by his Special Adviser, Prince Kunle Oyewumi, Kalu said: “The demise of Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi is a huge loss to the nation, considering his contributions to the social, economic and political development of Nigeria.
“Having served in different capacities, especially in the public sector, he died at a time his counsel on national issues is most needed.
“Alhaji Shinkafi was a detribalised Nigerian and he built friendships and relationships beyond the boundaries of the North.
“The demise of the Marafan Sokoto has created a big vacuum in the political circle.
“The memories of the late police officer will linger forever in the minds of many in the society. However, we take solace in the fact that he left behind good legacies”.
Kalu, while admonishing the deceased’s family to be comforted in the purposeful life their patriarch lived, urged them to sustain the exemplary qualities of the late philanthropist.
The former governor commiserated with the government and people of Zamfara State and the entire Shinkafi family.
He prayed God to grant the late politician eternal rest and give the family the fortitude to bear the great loss.
