The pilot of the Nigerian Air Force MI-171 jet that crashed in Niger State, Flight Lieutenant Ibrahim Adamu Abubakar, has been laid to rest.
Abubakar’s remains were laid to rest in Zaria, Kaduna State, after a prayer conducted at Haruna Danja Jumma’at mosque.
The prayer was led by the Chief Imam of the mosque, Sheikh Muhammad Sani Gumi.
Family members of the deceased and hundreds of mourners from all walks of life attended the burial.
The family of the late pilot had earlier performed a proxy funeral prayer (Salatul Gha’ib) for the deceased at Gaskiya Corporation mosque in Tudun Jukun, Zaria.
An elder brother of the deceased, Abubakar Adamu in an interview with Daily Trust explained that the family earlier performed a proxy funeral prayer in absentia for the deceased when they could not receive the corpse of the late pilot.
He said,
“When we concluded that we might not see the corpse of late Ibrahim, the family decided to conduct a funeral prayer for the deceased in absentia which was observed on Thursday as ordained by our religion, Islam.
“Such prayer in Islam is called Salatul Gha’ib and it is observed when the corpse of a deceased is not found. Therefore, as relatives, we have a religious burden to perform the prayer with or without the corpse.
“However, now that the corpse has been discovered, it is also mandatory for us to perform another funeral prayer for the deceased which is not out of place. And that’s what we just did.”
