Posted by Nigerian Air Force MI-171 Jet pilot Flight Lieutenant Ibrahim Adamu Abubakar was put to rest on Tuesday after his plane went down in Niger State.
His funeral prayer was held in the Haruna Danja Jumma’at mosque in Tudun Wada, Zaria, Kaduna State.
Sheikh Muhammad Sani Gumi, the mosque’s chief imam, led the prayer, which was attended by hundreds of mourners including family members and friends.
The pilot’s family had already held a proxy burial prayer (Salatul Gha’ib) at Tudun Jukun, Zaria, for the deceased.
Abubakar Adamu, the deceased man’s older brother, said that the family had prayed for him at a proxy funeral service because they were unable to retrieve the body.
He elaborated, saying, “Such prayer in Islam is called Salatul Gha’ib and is observed when the corpse of a deceased is not found; as relatives, we have a religious burden to perform the prayer with or without the corpse.”
Adamu stated that another funeral prayer for the deceased was required now that the body had been located.
He said that at first the family was in disbelief and despair, but now they are hopeful that the pilot will be rewarded with Aljanna (heaven) in the afterlife because he died fighting for the freedom of his people and the country.
The deceased man’s mother, Hajiya A’ishatu Adams, has described her son as a peaceful and gentle “Hafiz” (one who has memorized the Holy Qur’an).
She prayed that Allah would have pity on his soul and place it in Jannatul Firdausi.