Nigeria was plunged into mourning on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, as the remains of former President Muhammadu Buhari were interred in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State, two days after his passing in a London clinic.
The burial marked the end of an era for one of Nigeria’s most controversial, yet iconic leaders, an austere general-turned-civilian president who led Africa’s largest democracy through some of its most turbulent periods.
Buhari died at The London Clinic, United Kingdom, on Sunday, July 13, following an extended battle with an undisclosed illness.
He was 82. His body arrived at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina on Tuesday afternoon, where it was received by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in a solemn and symbolic gesture that underscored the gravity of the national loss.
The President was accompanied by a high-powered federal delegation that included Vice President Kashim Shettima; First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Deputy Chief of Staff, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia; and other senior government functionaries.
The late president’s body, encased in a simple casket draped in Nigeria’s national colours, was handed over to military pallbearers amid a silent, but heavy atmosphere.
The aircraft carrying the former president touched down at exactly 3:15 p.m., and the ceremonies commenced almost immediately, reflecting the military precision that had defined much of Buhari’s public life.
Full state honours were rendered by officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces—including a 21-gun salute, guard of honour, and bugle calls, befitting a man who once held the highest command in the military hierarchy.
By 5:50 p.m., the burial was completed at his ancestral compound in Daura, a modest agrarian community near Nigeria’s border with Niger.
Islamic clerics led the Janazah (funeral prayer), and the final rites were observed in accordance with Muslim tradition, with the participation of immediate family members, including his widow, Aisha Buhari, children, and grandchildren.
Tears flowed freely as the body of a man once feared and revered was committed to the earth.
A Parade of Tributes and Dignitaries
The turnout for Buhari’s funeral was an unmistakable display of his stature on the national and regional stage.
Former Vice Presidents Yemi Osinbajo and Atiku Abubakar paid their last respects, as did a cross-section of former ministers, including Lai Mohammed, and members of the diplomatic corps.
State governors, notably Dikko Radda of Katsina, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, and Babagana Zulum of Borno, were present.
Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and a long-time associate of the late president, also accompanied Governor Sanwo-Olu.
The First Lady was joined by the wives of key National Assembly leaders, Fatimah Abbas, wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Laila Barau, wife of the Deputy Senate President.
A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a body Buhari had worked closely with during his presidency, was on hand to deliver messages of solidarity from regional leaders.
Other attendees included top traditional rulers, religious clerics, business leaders, diplomats, and members of civil society.
Tributes from the Nation’s Spiritual Leaders
In the aftermath of the funeral, national religious leaders offered moving tributes that reflected both Buhari’s enduring influence and the complexity of his legacy.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, in a statement released through his media team, hailed Buhari as a disciplined and principled leader who maintained a deep respect for traditional institutions.
He described his death as “the end of an era” and lauded Buhari’s commitment to national unity, his stand against corruption, and his patriotism.
“He came, saw, and conquered,” the Sultan declared. “May Allah grant him eternal peace in Al-Jannah Firdaus.”
Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto also struck a reconciliatory tone.
Known for being one of Buhari’s most outspoken critics, Kukah acknowledged the former president’s service and urged Nigerians to judge him by his total contributions to the country, rather than by the controversies of his presidency alone.
“I think President Buhari should be remembered as a good man,” Kukah said during a telephone interview.
“He gave much of his life to Nigeria! first as a soldier, later as a leader. We must honour that service, even when we debate the outcomes.”
Legacy of a Complex Leader
Born on December 17, 1942, Buhari joined the Nigerian Army at a young age and rose swiftly through the ranks, playing key roles in several pivotal national events, including the civil war and the post-war petroleum restructuring.
As Military Head of State from 1984 to 1985, he gained international notoriety for his draconian anti-corruption drive and iron-fist rule, including the controversial Decree 4 that curtailed press freedom.
After being ousted in a palace coup, Buhari largely disappeared from national politics until the early 2000s, when he reinvented himself as a civilian reformer.
Following three unsuccessful presidential runs, he finally won the 2015 election under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform, defeating incumbent Goodluck Jonathan and marking the first democratic transfer of power from one party to another in Nigerian history.
His two-term presidency (2015–2023) was defined by bold, but divisive reforms.
He championed infrastructure development and social investment programmes, like N-Power and the School Feeding Programme.
However, he was also heavily criticised for presiding over rising insecurity, sluggish economic growth, increasing poverty levels, and a perceived lack of responsiveness to national crises.
Despite these shortcomings, Buhari retained a loyal following, especially in Nigeria’s North-West, where his reputation for honesty and personal discipline earned him the revered nickname “Mai Gaskiya.”
Bakare clarifies Buhari succession speculation
Amid the wave of tributes, Nigerian cleric and politician, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has dispelled widespread speculation about a supposed succession agreement between himself and the late Muhammadu Buhari.
Bakare, the founder of the Citadel Global Community Church and Buhari’s former running mate in the 2011 presidential election under the now-defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), was once vocal about his ambition to succeed Buhari.
In 2019, he famously declared that he would be Nigeria’s 16th president, calling Buhari the 15th.
However, in a recent interview with Channels Television, Bakare clarified that no formal or written pact ever existed between him and Buhari regarding succession.
“He is late. I will never say anything unfair about him. He did his best,” Bakare said. “There was no written pact between us.”
He further revealed that on the eve of the APC presidential primary in 2022, Buhari invited all aspirants to the State House and told them that just as he had allowed governors to pick their successors or recontest, he too desired the freedom to support a preferred candidate.
Bakare stated that Buhari’s position was accepted by all present, including notable aspirants like then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Jigawa Governor Mohammed Badaru, and former Minister Ogbonnaya Onu.
Bakare’s remarks provide insight into the behind-the-scenes politics of Buhari’s final months in office and reaffirm his reputation for allowing internal party democracy to determine leadership succession, despite speculation that he anointed a successor.
