Alhaji Aliyu Abdullahi Obobo, a widely celebrated trekker and cyclist who traveled to Saudi Arabia from Nigeria on bicycle has died at the age of 52.
Daily News 24 reports that Alhaji Obobo fondly known as “Legend from Allah”, died at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), in Plateau state on Friday after a brief illness.
In July 2024, the Nassarawa state-born Alhaji Obobo had set out on foot from Jos and traveled to Kano, from where he also trekked to Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states before proceeding to Niger, Kwara, Osun and Ogun states.
Alhaji Obobo had then made a U-turn from Ogun state and returned to Kano via the lengthy Abuja-Kaduna highway, all on foot.
Coming to Kano, the legendary trekker had visited the 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II in what was apparently his last foot adventure.
Also read: Nigerian man who travels to Saudi on bicycle from Jos gets rousing welcome by Authorities [Photos]
He had also met with Super Eagles former captain Ahmed Musa, during the trip.
But Alhaji Obobo was famously known for his incredible trip to Saudi Arabia in 2022, when he rode a bicycle more than 8,000 kilometers from Jos, Nigeria to the city of Mecca, where he performed his first pilgrimage.
It was learnt that in Saudi Arabia, a man had offered to pay Alhaji Obobo an equivalent sum of N30 million for the bicycle he rode to the Arabian country at the time.
But instead, Alhaji Obobo rejected the offer and chose to take the bicycle to the National Museum in Lagos after his return to Nigeria, to serve as a historical artifact.
Before his unexpected demise, Alhaji Obobo had announced his plans to ride a bicycle to Dubai, the capital of the United Arab Emirates in February, 2025.
Many social media users, shocked by Alhaji Obobo’s passing have been pouring out tributes to honour the “Legend from Allah”.
“Alhaji Obobo, known as the legend from Allah, has passed away. He achieved remarkable feats, cycling from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia and trekking extensively across Nigeria to meet with the nation’s leaders and prominent figures.
“May Allah have mercy on his soul,” Abbas Sani Waziri wrote on Facebook.
“Obobo…left this world as a fulfilled man. He had achieved his dream and will be remembered for his legendary.
“Today, nobody can deny that Obobo was a legend as he fondly called himself. He was a legend and could be cited as one forever. He had written his name in gold, and will be part of world history.
“May God forgive his shortcomings and grant him eternal peace. As a true believer in God, who had always believed in the strength and will of Allah, may Allah reward him with the best of His paradise. And may he find comfort in his grave,” another commenter, wrote in his tribute.
