Malam Nafiu Baba Ahmad, Secretary-General of Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, Dies at 70
By Muhammad Sulaiman
The Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN) has announced the death of its Secretary-General, Malam Nafiu Baba Ahmad, mni, who passed away in the early hours of Tuesday, 6th October 2026 (23 Rabi al-Thani 1448 AH). He was 70.
Born on 11 June 1956 in Zaria, Kaduna State, Malam Nafiu Baba Ahmad was a distinguished Islamic activist, legal practitioner, public intellectual, and administrator. He received a strong foundation in Qur’anic and Islamic education before studying law at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
As Secretary-General of the SCSN, he occupied a pivotal position in the Council’s administration and strategic direction, coordinating its programmes and representing its institutional interests in engagements with government, civil society, and the media. The Council described his death as a great loss to the Nigerian Muslim community and the nation at large.
His professional career spanned Nigeria’s financial and corporate sectors. He served at the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) as Director/Board Member and Corporate Secretary, and earlier at First Interstate Merchant Bank Ltd. as Secretary and Assistant General Manager.
In the Islamic banking sector, he played a leading role in establishing Nigeria’s first Islamic banking system and served as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Jaiz Bank Plc.
A Member of the National Institute (mni) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, he was recognised for his contributions to national policy discourse and strategic thinking.
The Council extended its deepest condolences to his immediate family, Shurah members, relatives, colleagues, and all who knew him, praying that Allah forgives his shortcomings, accepts his good deeds, grants him Al-Jannatul Firdaus, and gives his family and the entire Ummah the strength to bear the loss.