Supreme Council For Sharia Secretary-General Nafiu Baba-Ahmed Dies

Supreme Council For Sharia Secretary-General Nafiu Baba-Ahmed Dies

Mallam Nafiu Baba-Ahmed, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN), has died.

Baba-Ahmed’s death was announced on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, by former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, who described the late Islamic scholar and lawyer as a dedicated servant of Islam and humanity.

A separate statement by Malam Jamilu Muazu Haidara also confirmed the death and said the funeral prayer would be held at the National Mosque in Abuja after the Zuhr prayer on Tuesday.

The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

Baba-Ahmed was a lawyer, Islamic scholar and public intellectual who served as the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, where he played a central role in coordinating the council’s activities and public engagements.

According to the council’s official profile, he was born in Zaria and combined traditional Islamic education with formal legal training at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

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He was also a Member of the National Institute (mni) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, and was recognised for his contributions to legal scholarship, Islamic advocacy, policy engagement and public affairs.

As secretary-general, Baba-Ahmed frequently spoke on issues involving religious rights, justice, governance, security and constitutional matters.

In August 2026, for instance, he signed a statement on behalf of the Supreme Council for Shariah opposing what it described as a rushed constitutional process on the proposed creation of state police. The council called for broader consultation and stronger safeguards before any restructuring of Nigeria’s policing system.

Baba-Ahmed was also a prominent voice in national discussions concerning the rights and welfare of Nigerian Muslims and the place of Islamic values within Nigeria’s constitutional framework.

Mourning his death, Pantami said Baba-Ahmed had devoted the last 26 years of his life to the service of Islam and humanity while advocating justice for all.

Pantami prayed for the deceased to be admitted into Jannatul Firdaus and extended condolences to his family, colleagues and the wider Muslim community.

His death comes about a year and a half after the Supreme Council for Shariah lost its former president, Sheikh Abdul Rasheed Hadiyatullah, who died in April 2025. Sheikh Bashir Aliyu Umar was subsequently confirmed as the council’s new president.

Baba-Ahmed’s death is expected to prompt tributes from Islamic scholars, legal practitioners, political figures and other Nigerians who interacted with him during his years of public service.

Supreme Council For Sharia Secretary-General Nafiu Baba-Ahmed Dies