Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Algeria, Mohammed Mahmud Lele has passed away.
He died at the age of 50.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the development in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa.
According to the ministry, Lele died in the early hours of April 19, 2026, in Ankara, Türkiye, after a prolonged illness.
Until his death, he served as Director of the Middle East and Gulf Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and had recently been appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as ambassador-designate to Algeria, following Senate confirmation.
Born in Gamawa, Bauchi State, in 1976, Lele studied Economics at Bayero University Kano and held various diplomatic postings, including assignments in Berlin, Lomé, and Riyadh.
The ministry described him as a dedicated career diplomat with a distinguished record of service, noting that his death represents a major loss to Nigeria’s foreign service.
His remains were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dunoma Umar Ahmed, before being buried in Kano in accordance with Islamic rites.