Tributes are pouring in as Nigerians bid farewell to prominent Islamic preacher Sheikh Abubakar Giro Argungu who was seen as speaking truth to power.
Sheikh Argungu died on Wednesday in the northern state of Kebbi after a protracted illness.
President Bola Tinubu said the preacher was never afraid to stand up for the dignity of the common man.
"Sheikh Giro will be missed because of his fearlessness in fighting to protect the poor and telling the truth to the leaders so that they can do their duties," the president said in a statement.
He described the death of Sheikh Argungu as "a loss that has shaken not only the followers of the teacher, but also the entire country" because of his contribution to teaching Islam.
"Sheikh Giro Argungu's voice will be remembered for a long time because of spreading the religion of Islam and protecting the truth," the statement said.
Sheikh Giro Argungu was a key figure in the influential Izala Islamic organisation. The group recently mediated in the impasse between the West African regional bloc ECOWAS and the military junta in neighbouring Niger paving a way for talks between the two sides.
