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Kogi State has been thrown into mourning following the death of former Governor Ibrahim Idris, popularly known as Ibro, at the age of 77.
Idris died in the United Kingdom on Sunday, September 20, 2026, according to a family member who confirmed the death to AIT.
Details surrounding his death were not immediately disclosed.
The news came as political leaders and government officials in Kogi began paying condolence visits to the former governor’s family in Abuja.
Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, former Governor Yahaya Bello and other government officials were among those reported to have visited Idris’ Abuja residence following his death.
From Businessman To Governor
Born in 1949 in Idah, in present-day Kogi State, Idris built a business career before venturing into politics.
He founded Ibro Trading Company, which developed interests in construction, furniture manufacturing and hospitality. His business activities took him to Sokoto, where he established a furniture factory and later the Ibro Hotel.
His entry into Kogi politics came in 2003 when he contested the governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Idris defeated the then incumbent governor, Abubakar Audu, and was sworn in as Kogi governor on May 29, 2003.
Turbulent Second Term
Idris was re-elected in 2007, but his victory was subsequently nullified following a legal challenge connected to the exclusion of Audu from the election.
The Court of Appeal upheld the nullification in February 2008 and ordered a fresh election. Idris returned to the contest and won the March 29, 2008, rerun, enabling him to continue as governor.
He remained in office until January 2012, when he handed over to Captain Idris Wada, who had won the December 2011 governorship election.
His combined tenure of almost nine years made him one of the longest-serving governors in Kogi State’s history.
The Flight 53 Tragedy
One of the defining personal episodes of Idris’ life came in October 2006, when three of his daughters survived the crash of ADC Airlines Flight 53 near Abuja.
The crash claimed scores of lives, while only a handful of passengers survived.
Idris subsequently described the survival of his daughters as a “superlative show of mercy” from God.
Another Family Loss
Idris suffered another major personal loss in April 2024 when his son, Mohammed Ibrahim Idris, died in Abuja shortly after Eid-el-Fitr prayers.
Mohammed was a former member of the House of Representatives who represented the Ankpa/Olamaboro/Omala Federal Constituency from 2011 to 2015. The Kogi State Government confirmed his death at the time in a condolence message to the former governor and his family.
A Defining Figure In Kogi’s Fourth Republic
Idris’ death brings to an end the life of one of the prominent political figures to emerge from Kogi State during Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
From his years in business to his rise to the governorship, his disputed 2007 re-election, the 2008 rerun and his eventual handover in 2012, Idris’ political career was closely intertwined with a significant period in Kogi’s democratic history.
Further details on his burial arrangements and tributes from political leaders are expected.
