The remains of Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari have departed London for his hometown of Daura, Katsina State, ahead of a state burial scheduled for Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
The late leader’s body was flown aboard a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft before 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Accompanying the casket were Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and several top government officials.
Buhari, who passed away on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at a London hospital following a protracted illness, was 82 years old. The exact nature of his illness was not disclosed.
President Bola Tinubu is expected to receive the remains at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua Airport in Katsina by noon on Tuesday. The Federal Government has declared the day a public holiday in honour of the late statesman, who will be laid to rest in his agrarian hometown of Daura.
A towering figure in Nigerian politics, Buhari first ruled Nigeria as a military head of state from January 1984 to August 1985 before returning as a democratically elected president in 2015. Nicknamed ‘Baba Buhari’ by his northern admirers, he commanded a loyal and enduring following.
After Nigeria’s return to democratic governance in 1999, Buhari contested and lost presidential elections in 2003, 2007, and 2011 — consistently amassing over 12 million votes in each poll. His political breakthrough came in 2013 when his Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) merged with Bola Tinubu’s Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and other opposition blocs to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In 2015, Buhari, alongside running mate Yemi Osinbajo, defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, marking Nigeria’s first peaceful transfer of power between rival parties in the Fourth Republic. Buhari was re-elected in 2019 and completed his tenure in May 2023, handing over to Tinubu and Shettima.
Despite launching an anti-corruption crusade during his administration, Buhari’s government faced criticism over alleged corruption scandals involving several of his appointees. Some critics claimed he turned a blind eye to their excesses — allegations his aides and loyalists vehemently denied.
As Nigeria bids farewell to one of its most consequential leaders, preparations are underway in Daura to accord him a final, befitting farewell.
