Date: 2014-06-20

Ex-President of the Appeal Court Justice Mustapha Akanbi has described the death of Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola-Alao as “a great loss to the Muslim community”.

The pioneer chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) told reporters yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, that: “It is very unfortunate. He was a good friend. When I was in Ibadan, he used to call me Aare Court of Appeal and I called him, Aare of Yorubaland. We joked a lot. In fact, he came to Ilorin here for a marriage and he looked bright. Although I heard he was sick, he looked so bright.

“When the news of his death came, we were all despondent. He was an asset to Islam. He contributed a lot to the wellbeing of Muslims; he was a great philanthropist. We pray to Almighty God to forgive his sins and number him among his faithful servants.

“It is a great loss to the Islamic community. He was not given to flippant talk and always played his part in anything that affected the Muslim Ummah.”

The 2011 governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kwara State, Mr. Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), said the deceased’s humility was infectious.

In a statement, Belgore said: “I received with shock the news of Arisekola-Alao’s death on Wednesday. The death is one too many, not just for Oyo State or the Muslim community, but to all lovers of peace, human liberty and shrewd business acumen.

“Aare was a great humanist, whose philanthropic gestures and humility were as legendary as they were infectious. As his background clearly showed, Arisekola-Alao is a role model for the beauty of hard work and human resilience.

“My condolences go to the immediate family, the government and people of Oyo State, the Muslim community and the business community. May the Almighty Allah rest his soul and be with the family he left behind.”