Senator Sadiq Suleiman Umar, who represents Kwara North Senatorial District, has expressed deep sorrow over the death of the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Muhammad Bashir Saliu (OON), describing it as a major loss to the Ilorin Emirate, Kwara State and the Muslim community in Nigeria.

In a condolence message, the senator extended his sympathies to Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, the Ilorin Emirate Council, the family of the late cleric and Muslim faithful across the state.

Senator Sadiq described the late Sheikh Muhammad Bashir, who served as the 12th Chief Imam of Ilorin for more than four decades, as a pillar of spiritual guidance, moral discipline and peaceful coexistence.

He noted that the cleric’s life was devoted to the service of Allah and humanity, leaving behind a lasting legacy of scholarship, humility and unity within the Muslim community.

The lawmaker added that the Chief Imam’s wise counsel and prayers for leaders and the nation would be deeply missed.

He prayed that Almighty Allah forgives the shortcomings of the deceased, grants him Al-Jannah Firdaus, and gives the Ilorin Emirate, Kwara State and the entire Muslim Ummah the strength to bear the loss.