Buhari Mourns Classmate, Ex-IGP Coomasie

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President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the family members, the government and people of Katsina State over the death of forms Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, who was his classmate.

The President, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said he received the news of the death of the ACF chairman with shock and deep sense of loss.

“Nigeria will never forget the excellent leadership the late Coomassie gave to the Nigeria Police Force for the many years he served as IG,” he said.

He said his thoughts were with late Ibrahim Coomassie’s family and those mourning the late community leader and fine gentleman.

“On behalf of the government and people of Nigeria, I pray to Allah to receive his soul and give the family he left behind, the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,” he said.

Coomassie finished from the same secondary school with Buhari. He once said in an interview that “After we finished secondary school, General Buhari decided to join the military, I joined the police and Justice Umaru Abdullahi [former President of the Court of Appeal] decided to go to the university.”

The former Inspector General of Police died Thursday at the age of 76.

The funeral prayer for Coomassie, who was until his death the Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum and Sardaunan Katsina, will hold today at the Bin Coommasie Jumaah mosque after Friday prayers, he added.

His remains, conveyed by the hospital’s ambulance, arrived his residence at about 7.50pm.

Among early callers to his residence were Speaker of Katsina State House of Assembly, Yahaya Kusada and Chief Judge of the state Justice Musa Danladi.

Born on March 18, 1942, the late Coomassie had his education within and outside Nigeria, including the Detective Training College, Wakefield, United Kingdom and Washington DC in the United States.

He is survived by a wife and six children.

Coomassie, who was IGP from 1993 to 1999, was in February 2014 elected as the chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF). He took over leadership of the forum from Aliko Mohammed (Dan Iyan Misau).

He was preceded as IGP by Aliyu Attah (1990-1993) and succeeded by Musiliu Smith. He had, prior to becoming the IGP, held several positions with the Nigerian Police Force, including commissioner in Kano State.

In October 2016, his house was attacked by two assailants who killed one mobile policeman on guard duty at the residence, and injured another.