By Ibrahim Kegbegbe
Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, the mother of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has passed away.
Details surrounding her death were still sketchy as of the time of filing this report, but family sources disclosed that she died on Friday afternoon.
Her grandson, Hon. Bello El-Rufai, confirmed the development in an emotional Facebook post, where he announced the loss and called for prayers for the deceased.
“Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. From Allah SWT we came and to Him we shall all return. I would like to inform the public of the demise of my grandmother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai who passed away a few hours ago,” he wrote.
He added that she was the biological mother of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and expressed gratitude for the life she lived.
“We are grateful for the life she lived and may Allah SWT bless her gentle soul. May He bless the souls of the parents we have lost. On behalf of our family, we seek your prayers,” Bello stated.
The Merit Newspaper reports that the sad development comes at a difficult time for the former governor, who is currently in custody following his arraignment by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
El-Rufai was arraigned on a 10-count charge bordering on the alleged conversion of public property and money laundering after spending about one month in detention.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
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A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna, presided over by Justice Rilwanu Aikawa, subsequently adjourned the hearing of his bail application until March 31 after listening to arguments from both the defence and prosecution.
The case continues as the family mourns the passing of their matriarch.
