By Ghazali Ibrahim
The remains of Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, were laid to rest on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at his private residence in Daura, Katsina State, in line with Islamic burial rites.
The former president was interred at exactly 5:50 p.m. in an emotional ceremony led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who personally helped lower the body into the grave. The burial was preceded by Islamic funeral prayers, observed at the helipad where the presidential chopper landed with the late president’s body.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led a high-powered federal delegation to Daura to honour his predecessor, joining family members, dignitaries, and thousands of mourners from across Nigeria.
Buhari’s body, wrapped in the Nigerian flag, arrived at his Daura residence around 4:33 p.m., after being flown into Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina from London earlier in the afternoon. The funeral procession from Katsina to Daura was accompanied by military and civilian escorts, and witnessed heavy security and deep public emotion.
Before the burial, Buhari was honoured with a full military ceremony, including gun salutes, and the reading of his official citation by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa.
The late president died on Sunday, July 13, at The London Clinic, at the age of 82, after a prolonged illness. He served Nigeria as military head of state from 1983 to 1985, and later as a democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023, making him one of Nigeria’s most influential post-independence leaders.
The Federal Government has declared Tuesday a national public holiday and commenced a seven-day period of mourning, with flags flying at half-mast across the country in honour of the late statesman.
President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima have both paid glowing tributes to Buhari, describing him as a “patriot of uncommon discipline” and a “pillar of integrity” whose legacy will shape Nigeria’s democratic journey for generations to come.
