Borno Deputy Governor, late Zannah Umar Mustapha
The late Deputy Governor of Borno, Alhaji Alhaji Zannah Mustapha passed away in the early hours of Saturday, August 15, 2015 in a hotel in Yola. He was buried same day at Gwage Cemetary, Maiduguri.
The late Alhaji Mustapha died in his sleep, according to a statement by the Borno State Government. Governor Kashim Shettima expressed ”shock and disbelief” at the sudden passing of his deputy who was on an official assignment in neighbouring Adamawa State.
New details are beginning to emerge on the circumstances surrounding the death of the deputy governor. His staff, who were the last people to see him alive, present details which should raise serious questions.
“We became suspicious and worried when the deputy governor did not come out of the hotel room by 8:30am and we decided to knock on his door, when he was not answering, some of us went to peep through the window forcing it open.
“We saw that he was lying on the bed clutching the pillow closely, we shouted his name but he did not answer. It was at this stage that we decided to call the hotel staff to open the door.
“When we got inside, we saw him lying face down, and on close examination, we saw some saliva and blood being discharged from his mouth and we rushed him to the hospital where he was confirmed dead,” an aide said.According to Mustapha’s aides, he retired to bed at 11pm on Friday and asked them to resume the next morning at 7.30am. After Mustapha was discovered, they rushed him to the Federal Medical Centre in Yola where he was pronounced dead. His corpse was flown to Maiduguri from Yola Airport. He arrived in Borno at 4.10pm.
A medical examiner working with a government establishment, who spoke with The Trent on condition of anonymity, said, “For saliva and blood to be discharged from his mouth points to a number of issues. Primary on the mind of an investigator is to check the deceased’s medical history. Second, is to check the content of his stomach to find out the content of his last meal. Certainly, an autopsy should have been ordered in such circumstances. The position in which the deceased was found also matters. If he was curled up like a baby, it may indicate intense stomach ache, which may have contributed to his passing. An autopsy can still be done.”
The police has said it is investigating the death of Mustapha. Public Relations Officer of the Adamawa Police Command, DSP Abubakar Othman confirmed that investigation on the sudden passing of the deputy governor is on-going. “We have started investigations of what might be responsible for the sudden death of the late deputy governor,” he said.
“In cases such as this, at the end of the day, it depends on the man’s family. If the family drives the process by pushing a complaint, then it would be easy to get to the bottom of the matter. For instance, to perform an autopsy, his body has to be exhumed,” said an investigator who spoke with our reporter on Sunday. “Exhuming his body for autopsy cannot be done without the family’s consent. So, no matter what testimony submitted to the police by his aides who found him dead, if his family is not willing to follow up, then there is little the police can do.” He further maintained that this was a sensitive matter and he did not wish to be named in our report.
The final prayer for the repose of his soul was conducted by the Imam Idaini of Borno, Imam Adam Ibn Elsunusiya who led other prominent individuals, including the Borno State Governor, Mr. Kashim Shettima, the Yobe deputy governor, Mr. Abubakar Aliyu, Adamawa deputy governor, the National Security Adviser, Maj, General Babagana Monguno (Rtd) and other service chiefs who were in Borno and Yobe on a security mission.
In the months leading to the 2015 elections, the late deputy governor was known to raise alarm on the strength of the terrorists waging an Islamist insurgency in the North Eastern part of Nigeria. In November, 2014, Mustapha predicted that Boko Haram would take over the entire North East by January 2015 and the North East would cease to exist.
”If the Federal Government does not add extra effort, in the next two to three months, the three North-Eastern states will no longer be in existence,” Mustapha told newsmen.Mustapha during the 2015 campaigns called for Northerners not to vote for then, President Goodluck Jonathan. In a highly divisive campaign rally, Mustaha said, ”Any northerner who votes for PDP in the next round of election is not supposed to be called a northerner because such a person is a disgrace to the north.” He went on to say no sane Northerner would vote for Jonathan.
Alhaji Mustafa was in Yola representing Borno Government at the convocation ceremony at Moddibo Adama University of Technology.
Burial photos of Borno Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha who died in Yola, Adamawa on August 15, 2015 and buried same day (Photo Credit: Vanguard)
Burial photos of Borno Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha who died in Yola, Adamawa on August 15, 2015 and buried same day (Photo Credit: Vanguard)
Burial photos of Borno Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha who died in Yola, Adamawa on August 15, 2015 and buried same day (Photo Credit: Africa Spotlight)
Burial photos of Borno Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha who died in Yola, Adamawa on August 15, 2015 and buried same day (Photo Credit: Africa Spotlight)
Burial photos of Borno Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha who died in Yola, Adamawa on August 15, 2015 and buried same day (Photo Credit: Kayode Idowu/Punch)
Burial photos of Borno Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha who died in Yola, Adamawa on August 15, 2015 and buried same day (Photo Credit: Kayode Idowu/Punch)
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