Umaru Shinkafi is dead, Buhari, Tambuwal mourn

Ex-presidential aspirant died in London
president Muhammadu Buhari last night expressed shock over the death of former federal commissioner and presidential aspirant, Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi.The president described his death as “a colossal loss to the country.”

He died at Harefield Hospital, Hill End Road, Harefield, Middlesex, at about 4:07 p.m. Nigerian time, family sources said yesterday.Buhari, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, described the departed politician, administrator and technocrat as 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 recalls that the former Federal Commissioner of Internal Affairs and boss of the National Security Organisation (NSO) played frontline roles in the activities leading to the eventual return and enthronement of democracy in the country,” Adesina said.

He calls 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 Umaru Shinkafi played the parts assigned to him diligently, conscientiously and patriotically , enjoining them to emulate the good virtues that he left behind.

“President Buhari prays that Almighty Allah will grant the soul of the departed eternal rest.”
Also, in a message of condolence issued in Sokoto by his spokesman, Malam Imam Imam, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, described Shinkafi as a distinguished legal luminary, security expert, politician with conscience and great community leader and mobiliser.

He said he was a true statesman whose selfless and meritorious service to God, country and humanity was felt by all. While condoling with his immediate family, the people and government of Zamfara State and the Sultanate Council of Sokoto, Tambuwal prayed to God to grant the deceased Eternal rest.

Shinkafi, who held the traditional title of Marafan Sokoto, was a native of Zamfara State.He was a Federal Commissioner of Internal Affairs in 1975 and later became the head of the NSO in 1979. He had an extensive career in military intelligence. He was presidential aspirant in the Third Republic.

“The body will be flown back to Nigeria on Friday for burial at Abubakar III Burial Ground in Sokoto,” a family source said.Shinkafi is survived by three wives, and five children.

One of his daughters is Zainab, wife of Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State. Another is Hadiza, the wife of Zamfara State governor, AbdulAzeez Yari.
Shinkafi joined the Nigerian Police Force in 1959. In 1973, he graduated from the University of Lagos and a year later, from the Nigerian Law School. The Federal Commissioner of Internal Affairs in 1975 was one of the promoters of the Nigerian National Congress (NNC, a political association formed in 1989 after the disbanding of political groups by the Ibrahim Babangida administration.

The NNC later joined the National Republican Convention(NRC).Shinkafi emerged as a leading presidential candidate during the period Babangida banned old-breed politicians.

He created a Choice ‘92 campaign group for his presidential ambition, which intended to have a canvasser in every ward of the federation. But after the unbanning of old-breed politicians, he had to face tough competition in Adamu Ciroma, who had earlier supported his ambition.

However, the primaries were later annulled and the presidential politicians banned while fresh primary to be conducted under a new Option A4 electoral system was approved by Babangida. During the next primaries, Shinkafi supported the eventual NRC presidential candidate, Bashir Tofa, and the party chairmanship aspirant, Hamed Kusamotu.