By Ayomide Otitoju
The body of Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, departed London early Tuesday morning aboard a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft bound for Daura, Katsina State, where a state burial will be held in his honour.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, and other senior government officials accompanied the late president’s remains from the United Kingdom.
Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s Head of State from 1983 to 1985 and later as a democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023, passed away on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at a London hospital following a prolonged illness. He was 82. The exact nature of his illness has not been disclosed.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to receive the late president’s body in Katsina by noon on Tuesday, ahead of interment in his hometown of Daura, where state honours and final rites will be conducted.
Tributes have continued to pour in from across the nation and the international community, reflecting on Buhari’s legacy as a military leader, anti-corruption crusader, and two-term civilian president.
