THE Director-General of the International Centre for Islamic Culture and Education (ICICE), custodians of the Al-Noor Mosque, Wuse II, Abuja, Dr Kabir Kabo Usman, PhD, has passed away.
Family sources confirmed to News Point Nigeria that Dr Usman died on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at a hospital in Manchester, England, after a brief illness.
Burial arrangements, according to the family, will be announced at a later date.
Dr Usman, a respected Islamic scholar, administrator and public servant, was widely known for his contributions to religious education, public sector reform and human capacity development in Nigeria and beyond.
Before his role at ICICE, Dr Kabir Kabo Usman served as the Director-General of the Centre for Management Development (CMD), a parastatal under the former Ministry of National Planning, from 2010 to 2018.
During his tenure, he was credited with strengthening institutional capacity-building frameworks and promoting professional management standards across public and private sector organisations.
Born in Kabo town, Kabo Local Government Area of Kano State, Dr Usman was 67 years old at the time of his death. His academic journey began at Kabo Primary School, after which he attended Government Secondary School, Dambatta, Kano State, graduating in 1975.
He proceeded to Bayero University, Kano (BUK), where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 1982. His academic pursuit later took him to the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, where he obtained both his Master’s and Doctorate degrees.
While in the UK, Dr Usman distinguished himself as an academic, serving as a member of staff at the University of Manchester for nearly two decades, combining teaching, research and mentorship. His international exposure and scholarly depth later shaped his leadership style in public service and Islamic educational advocacy.
Reacting to his passing, Abdulkadir Ahmed Ibrahim, who signed the family announcement, described the late scholar as not only a close associate but also a family member. Recounting their shared upbringing, he said their families were bound by marriage after his father married Dr Usman’s senior sister in 1969.
“We were somehow brought up together by my Father late Alhaji Mai’unguwa Ahmed Ibrahim at Kwakwatawa Quarters in Dala Local Government Area” Abdulkadir said, recalling how Dr Usman frequently spent school holidays with the family in Kano during his years at Dambatta Secondary School, Bayero University Kano, and later while studying in Manchester.
Prayers have been offered for Allah’s mercy upon his soul, with many asking that he be granted Aljannatul Firdaus and that his family be given the fortitude to bear the loss.
