Nigeria Vice President Shettima, Atiku, Governors Attend Funeral Prayers Of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi

Bauchi metropolis came to a standstill yesterday as thousands of sympathisers from across Nigeria and beyond converged on the state capital for the funeral prayers of renowned Islamic scholar and leader of the Tijjaniyya sect, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, who passed away on Thursday.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Kano State Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf, Niger State Governor Umaru Bago, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, ministers, and several other dignitaries were among those in attendance. Shettima led the Federal Government delegation, which included the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and other senior government officials.

The funeral prayer, led by respected Islamic scholar Sheikh Sharif Ibrahim Saleh, was held at the Bauchi Eid Ground. Although scheduled for 3:00 p.m., it did not commence until 4:36 p.m. due to the massive crowd of mourners who flooded the venue, surrounding streets and all access roads leading to the Eid Ground.

Our correspondent observed that the Eid Ground was overwhelmed by the unprecedented number of sympathisers, forcing thousands, including men, women, children, and the elderly to join the prayers from nearby streets and roads.

Crowds began arriving in Bauchi as early as Thursday morning following the announcement of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi’s death. By Friday, mourners continued to pour into the state capital through all major entry points, travelling in trailers, trucks, buses, and cars, an indication of the revered scholar’s widespread influence among Tijjaniyya followers and the broader Muslim community.

Hundreds of his students and followers spent the night at his residence along Gombe Road, while others stayed in hotels, mosques, and Tijjaniyya centres across Bauchi as they awaited the funeral rites.

Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi died in the early hours of Thursday at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, drawing tributes from across Nigeria and the Muslim world. He is survived by more than 60 children, numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Followers described his death as a monumental loss to the nation’s religious landscape and the global Tijjaniyya community.

The revered scholar was buried at the Rauda (cemetery) within the premises of his central mosque at Makera in Bauchi.