President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday led national and international dignitaries to Daura, Katsina State where the remains of former President Muhammadu Buhari was buried in a solemn ceremony a cording to Islamic rites.
The late president, who died in London on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the age of 82 after a prolonged illness, was laid to rest according to Islamic rites.
His burial at his hometown of Daura marked the climax of a nationwide mourning for a man who once led Nigeria as both military ruler and democratically elected president.
His remains arrived Katsina airport earlier in the day aboard a Nigerian Air Force aircraft, accompanied by Vice President Kashim Shettima and other senior officials, and the body was received by President Bola Tinubu and a high-powered delegation of governors, ministers, and former leaders.
President Tinubu, along with Vice-President Kashim Shettima, President Umaru Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, Prime Minister of Niger, Ali Lamine Zeine, former President of Niger, Issoufou Mahamadou, and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, received the casket of the late president at the foot of the aircraft.
From the airport, the body—draped in Nigeria’s national colours—was airlifted by helicopter to Daura, where thousands lined the streets for a final glimpse of their native son.
The burial prayer was led by the Chief Imam of Katsina State and took place at 5:50 p.m., followed by a 21-gun salute rendered by Army Generals and Service Chiefs, who also carried the body to its final resting place.
Despite tight security, people continued to gather in large numbers to honour Buhari’s memory.
A public holiday was declared nationwide to allow citizens to pay their respects. In the North-West region especially, many participated in or observed the state burial ceremony.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, President Buhari’s wife Aisha, and other family members accompanied President Buhari’s remains from London to Nigeria.
A joint team of military pallbearers comprising nine senior officers laid the casket, draped with the Nigerian flag, on a trolley.
The team included Major-General Mohammed Usman, Major-General Oluwafemi Williams, Major-General Shuaibu Nudu, Rear Admiral Suleiman Dahun, Rear Admiral Jonathan Ajodo, Rear Admiral Samuel Ngatuwa, Air Vice Marshal Adeniyi Herbert Amesinlola, Air Vice Marshal Idi Sanni, and Air Vice Marshal Obinna Obiabaka. Major General Mike Alechenu coordinated the team.
The pallbearers wheeled the former leader’s casket in a slow march, in sync with the hymn “God Be With You Till We Meet Again,” passing through a full military guard of honour comprising six officers and 96 soldiers drawn from the Nigerian Armed Forces.
President Tinubu and others walked behind the casket trolley in a solemn procession. The pallbearers escorted the casket into a waiting military hearse for the one-hour journey to Daura, where funeral prayers and the burial ceremony would take place.
