The late Ibrahim Lamorde, a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was laid to rest on Tuesday in Abuja, with dignitaries from across the country in attendance.
Among those who paid their last respects were the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
Lamorde, aged 61, passed away on Sunday morning in Cairo, Egypt, where he had travelled for medical treatment. He underwent surgery three days before his demise.
The funeral rites commenced with a prayer session held at the National Mosque in Abuja at 1:30 pm, immediately after the Zuhr prayer.
Lamorde’s remains were flown in from Egypt earlier in the day, and he was buried shortly after the prayers.
Lamorde, a native of Mubi, Adamawa State, attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 1984. He joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1986 and rose through the ranks to retire as a Deputy Inspector-General.
Lamorde served as the pioneer director of operations at the EFCC when the anti-graft agency was established in 2003.
He briefly served as the acting chairman of the commission in January 2008 before Farida Waziri was appointed and confirmed by the Senate in June of the same year.
In 2010, Lamorde returned to the EFCC as the director of operations, replacing Stephen Otitoju.
On November 23, 2011, he was appointed as the acting chairman following the removal of Waziri by then-President Goodluck Jonathan.
Lamorde was subsequently confirmed as the third substantive chairman of the EFCC on February 15, 2012, a position he held until November 9, 2015, when he was replaced by Ibrahim Magu during the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Adamawa State government had declared a three-day mourning period in honour of the late EFCC chairman, who was widely respected for his contributions to the fight against corruption in Nigeria.