Months after Hosting Tinubu, Nigerian Ambassador to France, Kayode Laro, Dies

Less than two months after receiving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on arrival in Paris, the Nigerian Ambassador to France, Ibrahim Kayode Laro, has been reported dead.

While PRNigeria could not confirm the cause of his death at the time of filing this report, the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, confirmed that the ambassador died on Friday.

The governor described the death of the diplomat as shocking and devastating.

The governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said that the death of the career diplomat was one sad event too many, urging the family to find comfort in his legacy as a statesman and his contributions to human capital development in Nigeria and Kwara State.

"On behalf of the government and people of our state, the Governor sends his heartfelt commiserations to the Federal Government of Nigeria, the diplomatic community where he was a top player till his death, the Ilorin Emirate as a whole, and his immediate and extended family," the statement read in part.

During Tinubu's first official trip as President to France, he was received at the airport by the deceased envoy.

After providing detailed briefing on global financing to the President, Ambassador Laro also hosted an interactive session for President Tinubu with Nigerians living in Paris.

Ambassador Laro had served as a Nigerian diplomat and the Consul General in Atlanta Consulate.

He had served in various positions at home and abroad including Director in the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and on diplomatic postings to Geneva where he worked on human rights and disarmament. He was also in New York where he worked on United Nations Security Council matters.

From 2008-2009, Ambassador, Laro participated in the strategic-level training programme of Nigeria's top military training institution, the National Defence College and he is a Fellow of the College.

He holds a Master's Degree in Planning from the United Nations Institute for Development and Planning in Dakar, Senegal. He earlier graduated from the Department of Geography, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.