Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has been thrown into mourning following the death of a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law, Dr Umar Sani Bebeji, in a road accident along the Kaduna–Zaria Expressway.
Dr Bebeji reportedly died on Saturday after he was involved in a crash at Dumbin Rauga, along the expressway.
Confirming the incident, a childhood friend and colleague of the deceased in the Faculty of Arts, ABU, Mr Zubairu Lawal Bamalle, said the accident occurred at about 9 a.m.
He described the late academic as a dedicated lecturer and committed scholar whose death was a great loss to the university community.
The deceased, 45, is survived by his wife and two children.
Although he hailed from Bebeji Local Government Area of Kano State, Dr Bebeji spent much of his childhood in Tudun Wada, Kaduna. He was buried at Kwanar Chanchangi Cemetery in Kaduna in accordance with Islamic rites.
Until his death, Dr Bebeji was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Commercial Law, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Law and Coordinator of the ABU Law Clinic, where he played a key role in promoting clinical legal education and expanding access to justice for underserved communities.
Colleagues and former students described him as an accomplished scholar, humble mentor and committed legal practitioner whose contributions to legal education and mentorship would be remembered for years.
Reports indicated that the late lecturer had returned from the lesser pilgrimage (Umrah) only days before the fatal accident.
Tributes also poured in from former students, many of whom recalled his humility, friendliness and dedication to teaching.
One of his former students wrote: “He was a very jovial lecturer. May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljannatul Firdaus.”
Dr Bebeji’s death has elicited an outpouring of grief within the university community, with colleagues, students and associates describing his passing as a painful loss to ABU and the legal profession.
