Vice President Kashim Shettima paid a condolence visit to the family of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari in London yesterday morning, following his arrival in the United Kingdom (UK).
Shettima, who is leading a presidential delegation dispatched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, met with members of the bereaved family to convey the President’s heartfelt condolences and solidarity in this moment of national mourning.
The vice president also visited the London hospital where Buhari’s nephew and close confidant, Malam Mamman Daura, is recuperating to extend prayers and well-wishes on behalf of the Nigerian government.
The visits come as formalities for the repatriation of President Buhari’s remains to Nigeria are being concluded. The Vice President is expected to oversee the dignified return of the late leader’s body, in line with President Tinubu’s directive for full state honours.
Shettima was accompanied by a high-powered delegation that includes the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar; and the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia.
President Tinubu had, shortly after announcing Buhari’s death on Sunday, instructed Vice President Shettima to personally lead the government delegation to the United Kingdom to coordinate the repatriation process and represent the Nigerian state in mourning.
The late President Muhammadu Buhari, who died in a London hospital after a protracted illness, served Nigeria as Head of State from 1984 to 1985 and later as a democratically elected President from 2015 to 2023.
His passing has drawn a wave of tributes across the country and abroad, with many describing him as a symbol of discipline, patriotism, and incorruptibility.
