Muhammadu Buhari: Ex-Nigerian president to be buried at home

Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will be buried in the compound of his house in the northern state of Katsina on Tuesday, the state’s Governor Dikko Radda told BBC Hausa.

Radda was with Buhari’s family in London, where he died in a clinic on Sunday aged 82.

According to the schedule announced by the governor, the former president’s remains will be flown directly from London to the state before being moved to their final resting place in his home town of Daura, 50 miles (80km) from Katsina city.

Buhari’s home is already filled with mourners as friends, family and well-wishers await the arrival of his corpse which is due after midday local time (11:00 GMT).

Nigeria’s government had declared Tuesday a public holiday to honour Buhari – who was also a former army general, one of only two Nigerians to have led the country as both a military leader and a democratically elected president.

Nigeria’s Information Minister Mohammed Idris had earlier announced that a military ceremony and Islamic prayers will be held for Buhari in Daura.

There will be a brief military ceremony at the airport in Katsina where President Bola Tinubu will “personally receive the remains of the former president”, he said.

Officials say the funeral, initially expected on Monday, was delayed for logistical reasons.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who will accompany the late leader’s corpse back to Nigeria, had stated that Buhari had died after a brief illness without revealing any further details.

Tributes poured in for the late leader who was first elected president in 2015, becoming the first opposition leader to defeat an incumbent.

The man he beat, President Goodluck Jonathan, described Buhari as someone who “was selfless in his commitment to his duty and served the country with character and a deep sense of patriotism”.

Former military ruler, Gen Ibrahim Babangida, who overthrew Buhari in a 1985 coup, also showered praise on the octogenarian.

“He is a man who, even in retirement, remained a moral compass to many, and an example of modesty in public life,” Babangida noted.

Tinubu, who will attend the funeral prayer in Daura, declared a seven-day national mourning period in honour of his predecessor.

In an official condolence statement released on Sunday evening, Tinubu said the nation would pay its final respects to the former leader with dignity and honour, starting with the lowering of all national flags to half-mast across the country from Sunday.