Former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, has been buried in Abuja, with the state’s current and former governors gathering at Gudu Cemetery, Apo, to pay their final respects to the late politician.
Idris, who died on September 20, 2026, at the age of 77 in the United Kingdom, was buried on Friday in accordance with Islamic rites after his remains were flown back to Nigeria.
The burial brought together Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and former governors Idris Wada and Yahaya Bello, alongside members of the deceased’s family, political associates, government officials, traditional leaders and sympathisers.
The remains arrived at the International Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, where Ododo and other Kogi leaders received them.
The gathering provided a rare moment of convergence for past and present political leaders of Kogi State, with former governors standing alongside the incumbent governor to honour one of their predecessors.
From the airport, the remains were taken to the National Mosque, Abuja, where the Janazah prayer was conducted by the Chief Imam.
The body was subsequently taken to Gudu Cemetery in Apo, where the final burial rites were performed.
The Kogi State Government had earlier announced a state burial for the former governor and constituted a high-powered committee headed by Deputy Governor Joel Salifu Oyibo to coordinate the funeral arrangements.
Following the announcement of Idris’s death, Governor Ododo had visited the bereaved family in Abuja alongside former Governor Yahaya Bello and other officials to convey the condolences of the state government.
Ododo subsequently declared three days of mourning and directed that the Nigerian and Kogi State flags be flown at half-mast across government offices and designated public institutions.
Idris was elected governor of Kogi State in 2003 and returned to office after the 2008 governorship re-run election following a legal challenge to the 2007 poll.
He remained governor until January 2012, when he handed over to Captain Idris Wada.
His administration was associated with interventions in infrastructure, education, healthcare and housing, while his political career spanned several decades and placed him among the prominent figures in Kogi’s political history.
His death also prompted tributes from the Peoples Democratic Party and other political associates, who described him as an important figure in the state’s political development.
The funeral in Abuja effectively brought together different generations of Kogi political leadership, with Ododo, Wada and Bello united by the occasion despite belonging to different political generations and having served the state at different times.
For the family, the burial marked the final stage of a week of mourning. For Kogi, it marked the closing chapter of the public life of a former governor whose tenure remains part of the state’s political history.
Idris was survived by his family, political associates and followers across Kogi and beyond.
May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljanat Firdaus.