IBB dispels death rumour, says I’m hale and hearty, receives Mark, Ogbeha

Former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), has said he is hale and hearty as he yesterday held a private meeting with former Senate president, Senator David Mark, dispelling for a third time, a death rumour.

The social media was yesterday agog with the stories that Babangida was dead. But a visit to his hilltop house, Minna in Niger State, revealed that he was healthy. He played host as usual to many visitors including Mark.

Looking unperturbed, IBB, as he is fondly called, emerged from his inner house about midday with his close friends shortly before Mark and a non-serving senator from Kogi West, Tunde Ogbeha, arrived in the premises.

When Babangida was told of the rumour, he jokingly said: “This is hate speech.”

The former military president who looked very healthy did not dwelt much on the rumour as he received different calls to dispel it before going into his inner house after Senator Mark and other guests  left.

Babangida’s former spokesman, Prince Kassim Afegbua, had earlier issued a press release where he said that “It has become consistent fake news for quite some time now of people wishing our own IBB, the one we easily refer to as ‘The Last Don’ of Nigeria politics, dead.

“The ‘fake news bill’ would be a suitable response to this category of fake news carriers. IBB is very much alive and bubbling. He just started attending to friends and associates who came to see him today, Sunday, 15th December, 2019 right here at his Minna Hilltop mansion. He is full of life and in his characteristic bubbling mood,” he said.

Afegbua added that, “may Allah forgive those who wish IBB dead. God is the giver and taker of life, not humans. Death, as the irrevocable end of all creation, will surely come to everyone some day and at the appointed time and hour, but to deliberately spread fake news and wish someone dead, is to take humanity to another bizarre level.

“May Allah forgive them; IBB, by the special grace of Allah, the omniscient and omnipotent one, shall live to fulfill his journey and destiny in life, to the consternation of those who are always wishing him dead. This is about the third time this year,” he said.

He stated that “we wish to thank those who took time to reach out to us, home and abroad, to find out the truth. We thank you all for your love, care and concern. May Allah grant us all good health, sound mind and long life.”