By Atoyebi Nike
The body of Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, departed London on Tuesday morning aboard a Nigerian Air Force aircraft en route to Daura, Katsina State, where he will be laid to rest with full state honours.
Vice President Kashim Shettima is currently in the United Kingdom, heading a top-level Federal Government team finalising logistical details for the repatriation of the late president’s remains. Buhari died in a London hospital on Sunday at the age of 82.
Information Minister Mohammed Idris, speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will receive the remains of his predecessor in Katsina, where a brief military ceremony will be held at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport.
“The Jana’iza (funeral prayer) will follow immediately after, before the interment at the late President’s private residence in Daura,” Idris confirmed.
As part of the national mourning, President Tinubu has directed all Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as well as Nigerian diplomatic missions abroad, to open condolence registers. A special condolence register will also be available at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.
Idris also disclosed that President Tinubu has set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, to coordinate the burial arrangements in collaboration with the Katsina State Government and the Buhari family.
Twenty-five Federal Executive Council members have been instructed to attend the burial ceremonies and stay in Daura through Wednesday for the Third-Day prayer (Fidau).
Global tributes continue to pour in from world leaders and diplomats. “The condolences from heads of state and governments worldwide reflect the immense stature and legacy of President Muhammadu Buhari,” Idris said.
Security has been heightened across Katsina, particularly in Daura, as residents prepare to receive the body of their most famous son. Buhari’s death marks the end of a long era in Nigeria’s political and military history, with national flags already flying at half-mast in his honour.
