Dangote Escorts Dantata’s Body to Madinah for Burial After Brief Delay

The remains of Aminu Dantata, Nigerian business magnate and philanthropist, have arrived in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, ahead of his burial scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

This comes after a delay caused by documentation issues from the Nigerian embassy and the deceased’s family, postponing the funeral originally planned for Monday.

Dantata, who passed away on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), had long expressed the wish to be buried in one of Islam’s holiest cities.

Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, confirmed the development while accompanying the federal government delegation to the burial.

He stated: “Dantata would be laid to rest on Tuesday as both ends were working to complete the documentation.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Dantata’s son, Sanusi, announced via his X (formerly Twitter) account that his father’s body had arrived in Madinah.

Sanusi revealed that Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, escorted the remains from Abu Dhabi to the holy city. “Aliko Dangote, Forbes’ wealthiest black man, escorted the remains from Abu Dhabi to Madinah,” he wrote.

A 19-second video shared by Sanusi showed billionaire Femi Otedola seated with Dangote, both part of the Nigerian entourage.

According to Sanusi, funeral prayers will be held at the Prophet’s Mosque after the Asr prayer (around 1:30 pm Nigerian time), after which Dantata will be laid to rest at the revered Baqiyya cemetery.

Following his father’s passing, Sanusi had earlier stated that, “Dantata would be buried in Kano if the approval process stalled.”

Dantata was a towering figure in Nigerian business and philanthropy, and was also the great-uncle of Aliko Dangote.