The President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Tari Sekibo, slumped and died today in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, a source close to his family confirmed to SaharaReporters.
The source disclosed that Mr. Sekibo, a former senator, was rushed to the Federal Medical Center where efforts to save his life proved futile.
Mr. Sekibo was elected to the position of Ijaw National Congress leader in a hotly contested election in March 2013.
Reacting to his sudden death, Williams Mkpa, a member of the INC Executive, told SaharaReporters by telephone that the demise of the group’s president was a rude shock.
“This is a sad, and indeed the saddest, thing that has befallen the Ijaw Nation in [the] recent past. And at a time we are working tirelessly to reposition the INC for the tasks ahead in the coming years,” Mr. Mkpa said.
He added that the group had scheduled a meeting today before the sad news came in.