The remains of late Major General Idris Alkali, which was found by a team of Nigerian Army on a search-and-rescue operation, was buried at Gudu Cemetery in Abuja on Saturday.

The burial, which was concluded at 3pm, was attended by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, former Military Administrator of Lagos, retired Brig Gen. Buba Marwa and former Minister of Works and Housing, Alhaji Sunusi Dagash.

The funeral prayer, which was led by the Chief Imam of Abuja National Mosque, Dr Kabir Mohammad, amid tears, was attended by Muslims from within and outside the Federal Capital Territory.

Mohammed commended the Nigerian Army for ensuring a thorough search which led to the recovery of the body of the deceased, described as a “national hero.”

The Chief Imam described the situation surrounding the demise of Alkali as “very unfortunate. It is very unfortunate that Alkali died this way.

“However, we thank Allah that his body has been recovered.

“Even though it took weeks to trace the whereabouts of late Alkali’s corpse, we thank Allah, we thank the Federal Government and we thank the Army for the dedication to find his body so that he can be buried according to Islamic rites.”

He called on the Federal Government to look into the security situation in the country, stressing that “every Nigerian has the right to live or pass through any part of the country without being harassed or intimidated by anybody or group of people.

“This is a fundamental human and constitutional right of everybody, irrespective of tribe or religious affiliation.”