President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday led top government officials and foreign dignitaries to receive the remains of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who died in a London hospital on Sunday, July 13, 2025.
The solemn event took place at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Airport in Katsina, where Tinubu arrived from Abuja at about 1:42 p.m. Just a few minutes later, at 1:51 p.m., a Nigerian Air Force aircraft carrying the late president’s body touched down.
Wrapped in the Nigerian national flag, Buhari’s coffin was gently brought out of the plane by a joint military team of nine senior officers acting as pallbearers. The area was secured with tight military presence, reflecting the importance of the occasion.
First Lady Remi Tinubu was also at the airport, where she met and consoled Aisha Buhari, the widow of the late president. Accompanying the body back home were Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, and other members of the Buhari family.
Also present to honour the late leader were Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine, former Niger President Issoufou Mahamadou, and former Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
After the body was placed on a trolley, Tinubu and other dignitaries followed the pallbearers in a slow procession to a waiting military vehicle that would transport the remains to Daura, Buhari’s hometown, for funeral rites and burial.
A full military ceremony was conducted, which included a 21-gun salute in honour of the former head of state.
Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s military ruler from 1983 to 1985 and later as a civilian president from 2015 to 2023, will be buried later today in Daura according to Islamic traditions.
