Veteran Islamic cleric Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, leader of the Tijaniyya Sufi order in Nigeria, died Thursday after a prolonged illness, family sources confirmed. He was 98 years old.
A former presidential aide to late President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, in a post on X confirmed the death of the revered Islamic scholar.
“It is with a heavy heart and complete submission to the will of Allah (SAW) that we receive the news of the passing of our revered leader, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, one of the leaders of the Tijjaniyya order in Nigeria,” he wrote.
He also prayed for the deceased.
His brief post concluded, “May Allah forgive his shortcomings, accept his noble deeds and grant him Jannatul Firdaus. Ameen.”
Sheikh Dahiru was widely regarded as a towering figure in Islamic scholarship, known for his decades-long commitment to Qur’anic teaching, spiritual guidance, and the spread of Sufi traditions across Nigeria and West Africa.
Born on 29 June 1927, the cleric began publicly teaching the Qur’an in 1948 and maintained his ministry for over seven decades.
Close associates of the cleric announced his passing in the early hours of Thursday, invoking the Islamic prayer of mourning: “Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn.”
Leaders and followers within Nigeria’s Muslim community have described the loss as “irreparable,” praising Sheikh Dahiru’s role in educating and mentoring generations of imams, Qur’an teachers, and devout Muslims across the region.
Funeral arrangements are expected to follow traditional Islamic rites, with details to be released by his family and religious council in the coming days.
