A high-level presidential delegation has arrived in London to begin the solemn process of repatriating the remains of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on Sunday following a protracted illness.
The delegation, led by Vice President Kashim Shettima and the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, landed in the United Kingdom on Monday morning to oversee arrangements for the dignified return of the late statesman.
They were received at the airport by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and the governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum.
Confirming the arrival, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, said the mission was acting on the directive of President Bola Tinubu, who had tasked the Vice President with coordinating the repatriation and burial plans of the former President.
President Tinubu, in a statement on Sunday evening, mourned the passing of his predecessor and ordered that national flags be flown at half-mast across the country in honour of the late leader.
LEADERSHIP reports that late General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd), GCFR, served Nigeria as military Head of State from 1984 to 1985 and returned as a civilian President from 2015 to 2023. He died in a London hospital on Sunday, July 13, after what sources described as a long battle with illness.
