Muhammadu Maccido, 58; spiritual leader to Nigerian Muslims

Muhammadu Maccido, 58, the spiritual leader to tens of millions of Nigerian Muslims and an important voice of moderation and calm in Africa’s most populous nation, was among the 96 people killed Sunday in the crash of a Nigerian ADC airliner in the city of Aubja.

As the 19th sultan of Sokoto, Maccido approved dates for the start and end of Muslim fasts and spoke on issues of religious policy in Nigeria, which gained independence from Britain in 1960.

Maccido’s official titles included leader of the faithful and head of the National Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. He became the sultan in 1996, after his predecessor, Ibrahim Dasuki, was deposed by the then-military ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha.

Maccido often spoke out in favor of peace in Nigeria, even as the country witnessed some of its worst bouts of sectarian violence.

When immunization of children against polio was boycotted by many in northern Nigeria in 2003 over baseless allegations by radical Muslim preachers that it was a ploy to sterilize people and spread AIDS, Maccido came out in support of the vaccine.