By Atoyebi Nike
Heavy security presence enveloped Daura on Tuesday as preparations entered the final stages for the burial of former President Muhammadu Buhari. The late president is to be laid to rest in a designated garden adjacent to his residence in his hometown.
Personnel from the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army manned the entrance of the compound, while police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) operatives were positioned strategically around the premises.
A group of men, believed to be family members, were seen digging the grave, though journalists and members of the public were barred from approaching the area. Security operatives maintained a strict perimeter around the designated burial site.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to receive Buhari’s remains personally at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Airport in Katsina before proceeding to Daura for the funeral prayers and interment.
Earlier, Vice-President Kashim Shettima and Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila were dispatched to the United Kingdom by President Tinubu to accompany the body back to Nigeria.