Ilorin’s Chief Imam, Sheikh Bashir Solihu, Dies At 75

The chief Imam of Ilori, Sheikh Muhammad Bashir Solihu, is dead.

Imam Solihu reportedly died on Monday at the age of 75 after a brief illness.

The late Chief Imam was in the past weeks absent at the Ilorin Central Jumma’at Mosque, where he usually led the Friday prayers.

His deputy, the Imam Imale of Ilorin, Sheikh Abdullahi AbdulHameed, had been holding forth for him .

The Ilorin Emirate Council was yet to issue an official statement on the reported death of Sheikh Solihu as at the time of filing this report.

However, the press secretary of the Emir of Ilorin, Dr Arowona Abdulazeez, who recently authored a book on Sheik Solihu, confirmed his death in his online medium, Royal News.

Sheik Solihu was appointed the 12th Chief Imam of Ilorin in 1983 by the 9th Emir of Ilorin, Alh. Zulukarnaini Gambari.

Born in 1950 in Ilorin, Kwara State, Sheikh Solihu rose through years of dedicated Islamic scholarship and service to become one of the most influential religious leaders in the state.

He served as the 12th Chief Imam of the Ilorin Emirate, a position he held for over four decades following his appointment in 1983.

Throughout his long reign, the late Chief Imam was widely known for his deep understanding of Islamic teachings, firm leadership in religious affairs, and consistent advocacy for peace, unity, and religious tolerance among Muslims and the larger society.