Former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, popularly known as Ibro, has died in the United Kingdom at the age of 77.

Idris died on Sunday, September 20, 2026, according to reports confirmed by his nephew, Shehu Ahmed, although details surrounding the circumstances of his death were not immediately disclosed.  

His death marks the end of the life and political career of one of Kogi State’s longest-serving civilian governors, having governed the state for nearly nine years across two periods.

Idris first became governor on May 29, 2003, after defeating the then incumbent, Prince Abubakar Audu, in the governorship election. He served until February 2008, when his 2007 election victory was nullified following a legal challenge.

He returned to office after winning the March 2008 re-run election and remained governor until January 2012. He was succeeded by his brother-in-law, Captain Idris Wada.  

Born in Idah, Kogi State, in 1949, Idris began his early education in Onitsha, Anambra State, before completing his primary education in Kano. He later attended King’s Commercial College in Buguma, Rivers State, and obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Abuja.  

Before entering politics, Idris established himself as a businessman through Ibro Trading Company, with interests spanning construction, furniture manufacturing and hospitality.

He also established a furniture factory in Sokoto and the Ibro Hotel, which biographical accounts describe as the first three-star hotel in the old Sokoto State.  

Idris attracted national attention in October 2006 when three of his daughters survived the ADC Airlines Flight 53 crash. The incident claimed several lives, with only a small number of passengers surviving.  

In April 2024, the former governor suffered another major family loss following the death of his son, Mohammed Ibrahim Idris, a former member of the House of Representatives representing the Ankpa/Olamaboro/Omala Federal Constituency of Kogi State.  

Following news of his death, Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, former Governor Yahaya Bello and other government officials visited the late former governor’s Abuja residence to condole with his family.  

Idris leaves behind a political legacy that spans Kogi State’s early years of the Fourth Republic, alongside a business career that preceded and continued beyond his time in public office.