Flight Lieutenant Ibrahim Adamu Abubakar, the pilot of the Nigerian Air Force MI-171 jet that tragically crashed in Niger State, has been laid to rest according to Islamic rites.
Abubakar’s remains were buried in Zaria, Kaduna State, after a prayer conducted at the Haruna Danja Jumma’at mosque, led by the Chief Imam of the mosque, Sheikh Muhammad Sani Gumi.Flight lieutenant Ibrahim Adamu Abubakar, has been buried according to Islamic rites.
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.”
She said, “He was very gentle, generous and friendly as he was always guided by the doctrine of his religion. Ibrahim was one of the 27 children of the family and was so loved by all due to his good character. He often called me on the phone while at work and asked me to pray for him. He never joked in seeking the blessings of his parents whenever he had the chance to call.“My prayer is to seek for Allah’s mercy on him to repose his soul in Jannatul firdaus.”
