Former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mal. Nasiru el-Rufai yesterday buried his eldest daughter, Yasmin at the Gwarimpa cemetery in Abuja after the body was flown in from London where she died earlier in the week.
The immediate past secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed and a one time chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu were among hundreds of mourners who prayed for the repose of the soul of late Yasmine and paid tributes to her person.
Her body arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 7am and was later taken to the National Mosque at about 9:30am where a customary prayer for the dead was observed.
Presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the last general elections, General Muhammadu Buhari was among those that participated in the prayer.
Family members and close friends prayed God to grant her forgiveness and peace in the grave before the body was taken to the Gwarimpa cemetery for burial in an ambulance at about 10am.
Former minister of Finance, Adamu Ciroma was one of the earliest arrivals at the el-Rufai family house in Aso Drive, Maitama to pay a condolence visit and was later joined by former SSG, Yayale Ahmed; the former governor of Gombe, Danjuma Goje and several other mourners.? Nuhu Ribadu, a close family friend described Yasmin as a daughter and precious gift from God. He said, “We have Yasmin, our daughter and of course, God gives and God takes. We have nothing other than to say we are in total submission to Him.”
He said, “We are grateful for the life of Yasmin. May her soul rest in peace, we know God loves her most. She was my daughter. Nasiru’s daughter is my daughter. She was a good girl, a fine human being. A wonderful and very brilliant girl, but God loves her most.”
Ribadu also expressed gratitude to all those who came. He said, “We thank everybody, we have seen the love and affection shown to Yasmin and the family. We are grateful to everybody. We have lost a daughter. You can only imagine what it means losing your own daughter.”