JUST-IN: Ex-President Buhari’s Remains Depart London For Nigeria

The body of late former Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, has departed London on Tuesday morning for Daura, Katsina State, where he will be laid to rest with full state honours.

The remains were flown aboard a Presidential Jet in the early hours of Tuesday, following the finalisation of logistical and diplomatic arrangements by a high-level federal delegation led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who is accompanying the body to Nigeria.

President Bola Tinubu is expected to personally receive the former President’s body at the Katsina International Airport. This was disclosed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, during a press briefing on Monday in Abuja.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, will personally receive the remains of the former President in Katsina. Upon arrival, a brief military ceremony will be held at the airport before the body is moved to Daura,” Idris stated.

According to him, the Jana’iza (Islamic funeral prayer) will follow immediately, with the interment taking place at the late President’s private residence in Daura.

LEADERSHIP reports that former President Buhari passed away on Sunday at a London hospital, where he had been receiving treatment. His death has since triggered an outpouring of condolences from world leaders and dignitaries.

“The condolences coming in from Heads of State and Governments across the globe are a testament to the global stature and legacy of President Muhammadu Buhari,” Idris noted.

As part of the national mourning protocols, President Tinubu has ordered that condolence registers be opened across all Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Nigerian embassies and missions abroad. A central register will also be available at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

To oversee what the government describes as a “dignified and well-coordinated programme,” an Inter-Ministerial Committee chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, has been constituted. The committee is working in close collaboration with the Katsina State Government and the Buhari family.

In addition, 25 members of the Federal Executive Council have been directed to travel to Katsina to attend the burial rites and remain in Daura for the Third-Day prayers scheduled for Wednesday.

President Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s Head of State from 1983 to 1985 and then as civilian President from 2015 to 2023, will be interred in accordance with Islamic rites, marking the end of an era for one of Nigeria’s most consequential political figures.