Former Senator Ibrahim Musa, who represented Niger North Senatorial District between 2011 and 2015, has died.

The ex-lawmaker passed away in an Abuja hospital after a prolonged illness, family sources confirmed.

Musa, a legal practitioner and a prominent political figure in Niger State, rose to national prominence when he was elected into the Nigerian Senate in 2011 under the platform of the now-defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC). He polled 131,872 votes to defeat then-incumbent Senator Nuhu Aliyu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 83,778 votes.

His election, however, was trailed by legal controversy after Aliyu, then Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, challenged the result at the Niger State Election Petition Tribunal. In July 2011, Musa was arrested over allegations of submitting forged documents to the tribunal and detained for four days. Upon his release in September of that year, he maintained his innocence, saying the ordeal only strengthened his political resolve.

In a condolence message on Thursday, Niger State Governor Umar Bago described Musa’s death as “heart-breaking.” The statement, signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, extended sympathies to the Emir of Kontagora, Muhammad Mu’azu II, and the entire Kontagora emirate, from which the late senator hailed.

Governor Bago praised Musa’s contributions to national development, noting his impact in the Senate on behalf of his constituents, Niger State, and Nigeria at large.

He urged the deceased’s family to accept the loss as the will of Allah, remain steadfast in faith, and take solace in his public service legacy. The governor prayed for Allah to forgive Musa’s shortcomings and grant him Aljannah Firdausi.

Musa’s death marks the loss of yet another influential voice from Niger State’s political landscape.