Tragedy struck in Kaduna on Wednesday when the Niger State Zonal Chairman of the All Progressives Party (APC) Malam Sheriff Othman Bin Adam dies, just 11 days after taking a second wife.
Family sources told Dateline Nigeria that Bin Adam dies suddenly in the morning, shortly after exchanging banters with his young bride Maryam, who was shattered by the incident.
A video of the couple circulating on social media showed the deceased seated on a three-seater in the living room of his Kaduna residence, with the voice of his widow heard trying to strike a conversation with him.
“I have a headache. I actually pity myself,” he was heard saying in the video. Maryam then asked him why he was looking fairer, teasing him whether he had applied some powder.
“It was shortly after that exchange between the couple that Bin Adam, popularly known as Alhaji Othman, breathed his last. The family was devastated,” said a source who attended his funeral prayers in Kaduna.
The source added that the wife wept uncontrollably as the corpse of her husband of less than two weeks was being taken away for burial at the Unguwar Sarki cemetery.
“The fact of the matter is that Alhaji Othman was a very jovial fellow and a committed family man. We learnt that the family of his late wife actually arranged the marriage.
“Maryam (the bride he left behind) is a sister to his late wife. The marriage just took place penultimate Saturday. In fact, his father who came all the way from Niger State for the wedding was still in Kaduna when the incident happened. The Almighty Allah had willed that he will witness his son’s funeral,” the source said further.
Meanwhile, Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has expressed shock over the death of Bin Adam, describing him “a young and energetic man with total commitment and dedication to serving humanity.”
A statement made available by the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, Mrs. Mary Noel-Berje, added that the services of the zonal chairman of the party and state will be greatly missed.
“The governor prayed to Allah to forgive his transgressions and reward his good deeds with Aljannatu Firdausi while calling on the family, the APC in the state, and his Associates as well as friends to take solace in the fact that God gives and takes life,” the statement said.
The zonal chairman, who hailed from Sahon Rami, in Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State, is survived by two wives, children, and aged parents.
Until his demise, he has served in various capacities, including APC Youth Leader from 2014-2018, before he became APC state zonal chairman in 2018. He was also into farming.
