Ex-President Buhari buried after state, Islamic funeral rites

Remains of the late former president Muhammadu Buhari were laid to rest on Tuesday evening in the courtyard of his private residence in Daura, Katsina State, after the conduct of State and Islamic funeral rites.

Buhari’s body, initially wrapped in the green-white-white colours of the Nigerian flag, was interred at about 5:50pm, in accordance with Islamic tradition and his personal wish to be buried at home rather than in a public cemetery or national monument.

Gunshots were fired as a mark of honour for the former president and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

Chief of Defence Staff, General Chris Musa, read Buhari’s citation during the funeral.

The solemn burial ceremony was attended by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and several other African and Nigerian dignitaries. Among them were President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, Prime Minister of Niger, Ali Lamine Zeine, former President of Niger, Issoufou Mahamadou, and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, and a host of governors, including the host Governor Dikko Radda, along with his counterparts from Imo, Kwara, Gombe, Borno, Lagos, Kano, Ogun, Zamfara, and others were also present at the funeral.

Several former cabinet members who served during Buhari’s presidency were also in attendance to pay their last respects.

President Tinubu had earlier received the remains of his predecessor at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina. The President had arrived at 1:42 p.m. and inspected a guard of honour before the Nigerian Air Force jet bearing Buhari’s body touched down at exactly 1:51 p.m.

Buhari’s casket, draped in the national colours, was received by President Tinubu and other dignitaries in a solemn procession. A team of military pallbearers, drawn from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, wheeled the casket past a full military guard of honour to a waiting military hearse.

Buhari died on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in a hospital in London at the age of 82. His passing marked the end of a significant chapter in Nigeria’s political history, having served the country both as a military Head of State and as a democratically elected President.