Shari’ah Council confirms passing of Secretary General, Nafiu Baba-Ahmed, at 70
By KEMI KASUMU
His funeral prayer (janazah) was also confirmed but with an update that it would hold same day at the National Mosque Abuja after Zuhr prayers, meaning that as at the time of filing this report, the lawyer and former top banking director had been buried in accordance with the Islamic rites.
The Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN) has announced the demise of its Secretary-General, Malam Nafiu Baba-Ahmad.
The DEFENDER Newspaper, which earlier broke the news, reported that Baba-Ahmad, a legal practitioner, Islamic activist and public intellectual, died in the early hours of Tuesday, October 6, 2026, corresponding to 23 Rabi al-Thani 1448 AH.
His funeral prayer (janazah) was also confirmed but with an update that it would hold same day at the National Mosque Abuja after Zuhr prayers, meaning that as at the time of filing this report, the lawyer and former top banking director had been buried in accordance with the Islamic rites.
In a statement by the President of the Council, Sheikh Professor Bashir Aliyu Umar, the Council described his death as a great loss to the SCSN, the Muslim community and the nation at large.
Born on June 11, 1956 in Zaria, Kaduna State, Baba-Ahmad had a strong foundation in Qur’anic and Islamic education before studying Law at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
As Secretary-General, he coordinated the Council’s programmes, facilitated engagement with the wider Muslim community, and represented its interests in engagements with government, civil society and the media.
He also had a distinguished career in the financial sector, serving as Director/Board Member and Corporate Secretary at the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, and as Secretary and Assistant General Manager at First Interstate Merchant Bank Ltd.
He played a leading role in establishing the first Islamic Banking system in Nigeria and served as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Jaiz Bank Plc.
A Member of the National Institute, mni, of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru, Baba-Ahmad was noted for his interventions on justice, religious freedom, constitutional rights and governance.
“We pray that Allah forgives his shortcomings, accepts his good deeds, rewards his years of service to Islam and humanity, grants him Al-Jannatul Firdaus, and gives his family and the entire Ummah the strength to bear this irreparable loss,” the Council said.
