“How we found him dead in hotel elevator,” APC official recounts Kano chieftain’s final hours

A senior official of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, Abdulsalami Ginsau, has died following an incident involving a hotel elevator in Abuja, party officials have confirmed.

Mr Ginsau, who served as the party’s Assistant Organising Secretary in Kano, was found dead on 27 March at Chida Hotels after reportedly becoming trapped in a faulty lift.

He had travelled to Abuja ahead of the party’s national convention, where he chaired a committee tasked with coordinating accommodation for Kano delegates.

According to the party’s state publicity secretary, Auwal Sani-Mainagge, Mr Ginsau checked into the hotel a day before the event. Concern arose when he failed to appear at the convention, prompting party members to begin a search across the city.

The search led them to the Utako Police Division, where officers informed them of an incident reported at the hotel. Party officials later identified the deceased as Mr Ginsau.

Mr Sani-Mainagge said concerns had previously been raised by guests about the condition of the hotel’s elevators. He called for a detailed investigation, expressing doubts about the account provided by the hotel management.

Police have taken the body for an autopsy, while authorities continue inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident. The Kano State chapter of the APC has also set up a committee to work with security agencies.

The Kano State Government has contacted the family, with officials pledging a full investigation.

A family representative, Hamza Haladu, described the death as unexpected, noting that Mr Ginsau was in good health prior to the trip.

Mr Ginsau was a lawyer and corporate executive, serving as chief executive of Ginsau & Sons and practising with Ginsau & Co. Advocates. He specialised in corporate and commercial law, with additional experience in property, labour, and family law.

He studied at the Islamic University in Uganda and the Nigerian Law School.

He is survived by two wives and two children. Funeral rites are scheduled to take place in Kano.

Management of Chida Hotels had not responded to requests for comment at the time of filing this report.