Vice President Kashim Shettima and Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila have arrived in London to oversee the formal repatriation of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away at age 81 while receiving medical care in the UK. Acting on President Bola Tinubu’s directive, the delegation includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar and Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum. Their arrival marks the beginning of a solemn process to return Buhari’s body to Nigeria for burial.
President Tinubu, expressing deep sadness over Buhari’s death, ordered national flags to be flown at half-mast for three days. He described the late president as a “dedicated statesman and patriot” whose leadership left a lasting mark on Nigeria’s political landscape. The late president will be buried in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State, following Islamic rites and state protocols. Security arrangements are already underway, and a state funeral is expected to be held before the interment.
Buhari, who ruled Nigeria both as a military leader in the 1980s and as a democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023, was a central figure in the country’s modern political history.
