There is palpable tension in Sokoto and some other parts of the country over the rumour, which has gone viral, about the purported death of former president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari.

Contacted minutes ago, Garba Muhammad, Press Secretary to Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Mukhtar Shagari, insisted that Shagari is hale and hearty. “The rumour you heard is not true,” he stated.

A close family source to retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice Uthman Mohammed, equally dismissed the rumour. Justice Uthman is a childhood friend of Shagari.

However, another close family source said ex-President Shagari has been ill for some time and that it got worse after the pressure associated with his 90^th birthday celebration when he received many well wishers, including President Goodluck Jonathan, Gen Muhammadu Buhari and other past leaders of the country. “But he is not dead. We have been hearing this rumor since on Friday,” the source said.

•Photo shows Ex-President Shagari.