The late Deputy-Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Zannah Umar Mustapha

Ayorinde Oluokun.

Zannah Umar Mustapha, the Deputy Governor of Borno State is dead. He died in his sleep at a government owned guest house in Yola, Adamawa State, this morning.

The deputy governor was in Yola to represent his state governor, Kashim Shettima, at a function in a university. He was aged 49.

Reports indicated that Umar was discovered dead at about 8am this morning when his aides noticed that he had not woken up for early morning prayers as was his practice.

It was learnt that his corpse has been deposited at the mortuary, while preparation is being made for his burial which will take place later today.

The Governor of Borno State has confirmed his death.

The deputy governor was born in Biu in southern part of Borno State in 1966.

He was a naval personnel before he resigned in 1993 and went into private business where he became the chief executive officer of a clearing and forwarding company in Lagos.

After the return of the country to democratic rule in 1999, the late Mustapha joined politics and contested for the position of Chairman of Biu Local Government Council under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but he lost the contest.

He remained a loyal member of the PDP and later became the Chairman of the National Library Board after the 2007 general elections.

He became the running mate of incumbent Governor Kashim Shettima in 2011, by a political horse – trading between Kashim Imam, then of the PDP and the ANPP.