Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Bashir Saliu is Dead
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Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Bashir Saliu is Dead
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Chief Imam of Ilorin Emirate, Sheikh Muhammad Bashir Saliu, is dead. He was 75.
INCNews237 gathered that the respected Islamic scholar died on Monday at a hospital in Abuja after a brief illness.
The late cleric, popularly known as Imam Fulani, served as the 12th Chief Imam of Ilorin Emirate, a position he occupied for over four decades.
Born in 1950 in Ilorin, Kwara State, Sheikh Saliu began his Qur’anic education at the Magaji Baboko Qur’anic School in Ilorin.
He later studied at the Shaykh Abubakar Sakama School between 1963 and 1965, before undergoing seven years of advanced Islamic training under the tutelage of Shaykh Musa Nuhu Elere, also in Ilorin.
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He was appointed Chief Imam of Ilorin in 1983 by the late Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Zuluqarnain Muhammadu Gambari, following the death of Imam Musa Ahmad.
His appointment marked the continuation of a long family legacy of Islamic leadership, as his father, Imam Saliu Omo Onida Abdulkadir, was the 7th Chief Imam of the emirate.
In his life time, Sheikh Saliu was a central figure in religious life in Ilorin.
He regularly led the annual Ramadan Tafsir held at the Emir’s Palace, alongside other prominent scholars, including the Imam Imale, Imam Gambari, the Ajanasi Agba of Ilorin and other senior ulama.
He was widely respected for his depth of knowledge in Islamic jurisprudence, humility and commitment to peaceful coexistence within the Ilorin community.
His death has been described by many as a huge loss to Islam and the Ilorin Emirate.
Burial arrangements, in accordance with Islamic rites, are expected to be announced by the Ilorin Emirate Council.
