Ibrahim Garba, the Borno State Commissioner for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement (RRR), was discovered dead Saturday at his guest house in Maiduguri’s 777 housing estate.
His body was discovered alongside that of a woman who had been discovered unconscious but later died at the hospital where she had been sent for treatment.
The bodies of the two are currently being examined at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, where an autopsy is being performed to determine the cause of death.
The commissioner’s death has been confirmed by the Borno State Government. Isa Gusau, the governor’s spokesman, made a brief statement expressing the state’s shock and grief.
Governor Babagana Umara Zulum “received the news with intense shock and profound grief,’ Mr Gusau said.
He further noted, “The Governor mourns alongside the late commissioner’s family, other loved ones, friends, associates, and members of the state executive council.”
Mr Gusau also verified that the police command in Borno State has launched a swift inquiry into Mr Garba’s death. He further stated that the state police commissioner had visited the Maiduguri residence where Mr. Garba was discovered.
The spokeswoman remained silent on the unidentified woman. The statement did not go into detail about the commissioner’s death, but it did offer prayers for his forgiveness and a pleasant afterlife.
Kaminu Shatambaya, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Borno State Command, verified further details regarding the incident. Mr Shatambaya, on the other hand, did not go into detail about the incident or identify the woman.
“It was a tragic loss but for now, we are all at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital waiting for the autopsy result before any official statement from the police can be issued, he stated.
Mr Garba was previously the Special Adviser on Special Projects before being appointed Commissioner of RRR at the start of Governor Zulum’s second term.