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Death Be Not Proud: A Tribute To Aliyu Umar, SAN – By Sani Ammani, Esq.

Late Alh. Aliyu Umar, SAN was a hero with a thousand faces. Unlike other heroes, all his faces were good. I was shocked, dismayed, touched and saddened when I read about his demise in the early hours of today. But I wasn’t surprised. He’s human. And humans live to die, as Allah (swt) says:

‘Every self must taste death.’ -Quran 3:185

Aliyu Umar, SAN was one of the best and finest lawyers in the African continent. He’s one of the best charge drafters and prosecutors Africa has ever seen. His transition is indeed a great loss to the legal profession. It reminds me of the opening stanza of Sir Walter Raleigh’s ‘The Soul Errand’ which says:

‘Go soul the body’s guest
Upon a thankless errand
Fear not to touch the best
The truth shall be thy warrant
Go since I needs must die
And give the world the lie.

I can’t speak of his time as the Attorney General of Kano State. I wasn’t in Kano at the time. But from what I know of him, he’s an ATTORNEY who fought like a GENERAL. Don’t take my word for it. Go through his records.

Unlike most lawyers, Aliyu Umar pledged his life to the service of humanity and the development of the legal profession. His contributions on seeking justice to Pfizer victims are on the lips and prayers of thousands of people who never met him in person. He had the opportunity to chase money. But he, unlike the majority, chose humanity instead. Robert Frost was referring to people like Aliyu Umar when he said:

‘Two roads diverged in the woods and I
I took the one less travelled by
And that has made all the difference.

Aliyu Umar’s choice truly made the difference.
The last time I met him was last year, during the Law Week of NBA Kano Branch. He came together with H. M Ma’aruf, Esq. and Mr. Ahmed Raji, SAN. I was practising my photographic skills. I requested to snap them a couple of pictures, first the three of them and second with other people. They obliged me. I never knew I’d never see him again.

If the law were a lady, she’d have been weeping by now and refused to be comforted as her true love is gone. Lawyers remember him as a mentor and ordinary people pray for him as a hero. As Shakespeare wrote in the last two lines of his Sonnet XVIII:

‘So long as men can breathe and eyes can see
So long lives THIS and this gives life to thee.

It’s true Aliyu Umar is dead. Yet he lives. He’s conquered immortality. Just as John Donne put it:

‘Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so.

Aliyu Umar’s name is more popular now than he was alive. People who didn’t know him are now calling, Googling, WhatsApping and texting to know more about him. I can’t think of a better way to go.

Farewell gentle giant.

Sani Ammani.

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