Details have emerged on the tragic death of the Assistant Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, Abdulsalami Ginsau, who died at Chida Hotels under controversial circumstances.
Correspondent understands that Ginsau, a lawyer and party stalwart, reportedly died on Friday, March 27, after he was allegedly trapped in a faulty elevator at the hotel located in the Utako District of Abuja.
The Kano State Chairman of the APC, Umar Haruna Doguwa, said the deceased had travelled to Abuja ahead of the party’s convention to coordinate accommodation for delegates from the state.
According to him, Ginsau successfully arranged lodging for the delegates before checking into the hotel himself.
Doguwa said concern arose when the party official could not be found during the convention, prompting a frantic search across the Federal Capital Territory.
He explained that the party delegation reported the matter at the Utako Police Division, where they were informed of an incident at the hotel.
“Upon getting to the hotel, they identified the body to be that of the deceased party chieftain,” Doguwa said, attributing the incident to alleged negligence on the part of the hotel management.
He added that some delegates had earlier raised concerns about a faulty lift in the facility.
When contacted, the police confirmed that the incident was reported and is under investigation.
“Chida Hotels came to report that there was an incident and we are investigating it. The ongoing autopsy is part of the investigation. The division is actively investigating the matter,” Daily Trust quoted a source at the Utako division as saying.
Efforts to get official comments from the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, were unsuccessful as calls were not returned.
The management of Chida Hotels declined to comment on the incident.
The hotel manager, Princess Oluchi, said the matter was under police investigation and the management would not make any statement for now.
However, a source within the hotel provided insight into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
According to the source, about 150 rooms had been booked for APC delegates from Kano State, but over 1,000 persons eventually showed up, overstretching the hotel’s facilities.
The source said that despite management’s concerns, coordinators insisted that the bookings were sufficient.
On the incident, the source disclosed that one of the elevators malfunctioned and was forcefully opened.
It was gathered that Ginsau, who lodged on the third floor, unknowingly entered the faulty lift in the early hours of Friday.
“The elevator sank with him in it, unknown to the hotel’s management,” the source said.
The situation reportedly went unnoticed until the following day when an offensive odour prompted a search, leading to the discovery of his remains.
The Kano State chapter of the APC has called for a thorough investigation into the incident.
The party’s state secretary, Auwal Soja Sani Mainagge, described the death as shocking.
“He was with us in Abuja and was in good condition, but he did not attend the event we went for. That was when we started searching for him, and he was later found dead,” he said.
He disclosed that the party had set up a committee to investigate the matter in collaboration with security agencies, while the Kano State Government had also reached out to the family.
Speaking on behalf of the family, a guardian to the deceased, Hamza Haladu, said the news of Ginsau’s death came as a devastating surprise.
“He was a very healthy and energetic person when he travelled. The news of his death came as a complete shock to us,” he said.
Haladu added that the state governor had assured the family that no stone would be left unturned in uncovering the cause of death.
He disclosed that Ginsau would be buried on Thursday in Kano in accordance with Islamic rites.
VAM News reports that Ginsau was a prominent lawyer, corporate executive and political figure in Kano State.
He served as Chief Executive Officer of Ginsau & Sons and practised law with Ginsau & Co. Advocates, earning respect for his expertise in corporate and commercial law.
He also worked with H.H. Karkasara & Co., where he specialised in property, tax and intellectual property litigation.
An alumnus of the Islamic University in Uganda and the Nigerian Law School, Abuja, Ginsau built a career that spanned legal practice and political engagement.
Within the APC, he was regarded as an influential figure whose contributions extended beyond legal advocacy into party organisation and governance.
He is survived by two wives and two children.