The Permanent Secretary for Special Services in the Office of the Secretary to the Bauchi State Government, Shehu Yahaya Jalam, has died in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, while performing the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage.
Mukhtar Gidado, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Governor Bala Mohammed, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Sunday.
According to the statement, Jalam was part of the Bauchi State delegation that travelled to the Holy Land for the annual Hajj exercise.
His death brings to five the number of Nigerian pilgrims who have reportedly died during the ongoing Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
The Bauchi State Government described the late permanent secretary, who held the traditional title of Turakin Dawakin Misau, as a dedicated and loyal public servant who devoted his life to the service of the state.
The government noted that the deceased played vital roles in coordinating previous Hajj operations and other important government assignments.
It added that his passing is a significant loss to his family, colleagues, and the wider community that benefited from his commitment, humility, and sense of duty.
The statement disclosed that funeral prayers for the late Jalam were conducted on Sunday after the Zuhr prayer at the Holy Mosque in Makkah.
Governor Bala Mohammed extended condolences to the family of the deceased, the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, the Head of Civil Service, as well as the Misau and Dambam Emirate Councils.
The governor also prayed for Allah to forgive the shortcomings of the deceased, grant him Aljannatul Firdaus, and give his family the strength to bear the loss.
