Tinubu Dispatches VP Shettima to Accompany Buhari’s Remains from UK, Flags to Fly at Half-Mast

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially confirmed the death of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away in London on Sunday following a prolonged illness.

In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the late president was reported to have died at approximately 4:30 p.m. in a London clinic.

President Tinubu has personally reached out to the former First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, to offer his condolences over the loss of her husband.

As part of the federal government’s response to the development, President Tinubu has directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to travel immediately to the United Kingdom to accompany President Buhari’s remains back to Nigeria.

In a solemn tribute to the late statesman, the President has also ordered that all national flags be flown at half-mast across the country until further notice.

A Legacy of Leadership

Muhammadu Buhari, who first ruled Nigeria as a military Head of State from January 1984 to August 1985, returned to the helm of leadership in a democratic capacity in 2015, after defeating an incumbent president. He went on to serve two terms until 2023.

The late President had been receiving medical treatment in the United Kingdom for several months. In a statement earlier this year, Buhari cited medical assessments as the reason for his absence from the 50th anniversary celebration of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), held in Lagos on May 28.

“Regrettably… I am currently in the United Kingdom undergoing routine medical check-ups and therefore unable to attend this historic event,” he stated at the time.

Photographs of the former leader, including one in which he was seen with former EFCC chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa in London, circulated on social media in May. The purpose of Bawa’s visit was not officially disclosed.

Nation in Mourning

News of Buhari’s passing was initially announced by his former spokesman, Garba Shehu, who stated:

“The family of the former president has announced the passing on of the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, this afternoon in a clinic in London. May Allah accept him in Aljannatul Firdaus. Amin.”

Funeral arrangements and other official protocols are expected to be released in the coming days.

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