Former Senator, Buruji Kashamu, is dead.
He died due to complications of COVID-19, his former colleague, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce said in a tweet on Saturday.
“I have just lost my good friend of forever to #COVID19,” Murray-Bruce said. “Until his death, Sen. Buruji Kashamu and I were inseparable.
“He died today at First Cardiology Consultants, in Lagos. May his gentle soul rest in peace. I pray his family and loved ones the fortitude to bear this heavy loss.”
I have just lost my good friend of forever to #COVID19. Until his death, Sen. Buruji Kashamu and I were inseparable. He died today at First Cardiology Consultants, in Lagos. May his gentle soul rest in peace. I pray his family and loved ones the fortitude to bear this heavy loss. pic.twitter.com/OJGIt0VK3n
— Ben Murray-Bruce (@benmurraybruce) August 8, 2020
Kashamu served as a Senator representing Ogun-East in the eighth National Assembly under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He was 62.
He joins a list of prominent Nigerians who have succumbed to the novel coronavirus.
Former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari and former Governor of Oyo state, Abiola Ajimobi, have also passed on from COVID-19 complications.
‘A large-hearted politician’
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, expressed “deep pain and grief” over the passing of Kashamu soon after the news broke on Saturday.
In a statement released by his spokesman, Kunle Somorin, Abiodun described Kashamu’s demise as one death too many and a devastating blow to the nation’s political family.
“I received the sad news of the passing of Senator Buruji Kashamu today, 8 August, 2020, with a deep pain and grief that words cannot capture. On behalf of my family, the Government and good people of Ogun State, I convey our deepest condolences,” he said.
“His demise further diminishes the tribe of my close political associates. He was a large-hearted politician and courageous fighter for whatever cause he believed in.
“He was not just a loving personality, a generous giver, and someone who lived for others, he was to many a beacon of hope of a better tomorrow. This painful exit is much more than the end of an individual.”
The governor described the late senator as a phenomenon who was faithful to his principles and convictions and even his critics would attest to his tenacity of purpose
“Our brother and friend was a consummate politician and patriot who will be sorely missed within and outside Ogun State for his larger than life disposition,” he said.
‘Couldn’t Escape Death’
In a condolence message to Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, on Saturday, former President Olusegun Obasanjo said while Kashamu’s death was “sad”, his life and history left “lessons for those of all us on this side of the veil.”
“Senator Buruji Kashamu in his lifetime used the maneuver of law and politics to escape from facing justice on alleged criminal offence in Nigeria and outside Nigeria,” Obasanjo said, according to a statement signed by his spokesman Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo.
“But no legal, political, cultural, social, or even medical maneuver could stop the cold hand of death when the Creator of all of us decides that the time is up.
“May Allah forgive his sin and accept his soul into Aljanah, and may God grant his family and friends fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”
Before his death, Senator Kashamu was engaged in a long, legal battle against the federal government over extradition to the US to face alleged drug trafficking charges.
