Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State has announced that the body of former President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to arrive in the state by noon on Tuesday, July 15, ahead of his burial in Daura.
Speaking on the burial arrangements on Monday, Governor Radda disclosed that funeral rites will begin at 2:00 p.m. at the former president’s hometown in Daura, Katsina State.
Buhari died at the age of 82 while undergoing treatment at a private medical facility in London. The nature of the illness was not disclosed. His death was announced by his former spokesperson, Garba Shehu, in a brief statement on Sunday evening.
“The family of the former president has announced the passing on of Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, this afternoon in a clinic in London,” Shehu wrote.
In the days leading up to his death, Buhari had been visited by several dignitaries in the London clinic, including former military ruler Abdulsalami Abubakar, former SGF Boss Mustapha, and former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha.
President Bola Tinubu, who succeeded Buhari in 2023, has directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to accompany the late president’s body back to Nigeria. Tinubu also ordered flags to fly at half-mast nationwide in honour of the deceased.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga confirmed that President Tinubu had spoken with Aisha Buhari, the widow of the late president, and extended his condolences.
Buhari served as Nigeria’s democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023. Before that, he ruled as military Head of State from January 1984 to August 1985 following a coup that removed the Shehu Shagari administration. His military tenure was marked by strict enforcement campaigns, notably the “War Against Indiscipline.”