Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari, aged 82, was buried on Tuesday, 15 July 2025, in his hometown of Daura in Katsina State, two days after passing away at a clinic in London. His body was flown into the country that morning and received at the airport by President Bola Tinubu, alongside other State dignitaries. Islamic funeral rites were held at the central mosque in Daura, attended by hundreds, before Buhari was interred on the grounds of his private residence. The military performed full ceremonial honours, including a gun salute and the ceremonial folding of the national flag which was presented to his family. Among the mourners were Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, and several traditional rulers.
The Nigerian Government declared Tuesday a public holiday and announced a seven-day period of national mourning in honour of the late statesman, who served two consecutive terms as a democratically elected president after taking office in 2015. Vice-President Kashim Shettima confirmed that Buhari died following a brief illness, though specific details were not disclosed. Tributes have since poured in, including from former President Goodluck Jonathan, whom Buhari defeated in 2015, and former military leader General Ibrahim Babangida, who ousted him in a 1985 coup. President Tinubu, in an official condolence message, praised Buhari’s enduring patriotism and austere leadership, pledging that the country would honour him with the dignity befitting a former head of state.