Tinubu pays last respect as Buhari buried in Daura: Credit: X | Bayo Onanuga
President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima led a galaxy of Nigeria’s elite, including former Presidents, to Daura, Katsina State on Tuesday to pay their final respects as the nation laid to rest the ex-military Head of State and two-term democratically elected President, Muhammadu Buhari.
Tinubu personally received Buhari’s flag-draped remains at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina shortly after 2 p.m., following its departure from London earlier that morning aboard the Presidential Aircraft on which Buhari rode during his eight-year tenure.
The burial ceremony, conducted according to Islamic rites by the Chief Imam of Daura, Sheikh Salisu Rabiu, attracted international dignitaries, including President Umaru Sissoci Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Niger, Ali Zeine, and former President of Niger, Issoufou Mahamadou.
Former Vice Presidents Yemi Osinbajo and Atiku Abubakar were also present, alongside the National Assembly leadership, including Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin; Senator Kawu Sumaila, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, Senator Sani Bello, Senator Abu Ibrahim, and Senator Yariman Bakura.
Security chiefs in attendance included Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Olufemi Oluyede; Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla; former Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai (retd.), and former Director General of DSS, Yusuf Bichi.
Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda led the state government delegation, which included Deputy Governor Faruq Jobe, Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly Nasir Daura, Secretary to the State Government Abdullahi Faskari, and members of the State Executive Council.
Federal Government officials present included Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari; Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Isiaq Salako; and the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, among others.
The delegation also included the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, and former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
The ceremony was equally attended by Nigeria Governors’ Forum Chairman and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, alongside governors from multiple states, including Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed; Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni; Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf; Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani; Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule; Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya; Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi; Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris; Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal; Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Others include Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo; Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma and Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu.
Former governors in attendance were Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Ali Modu Sheriff (Borno), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), and Yahaya Bello (Kogi).
Private sector leaders Aliko Dangote, Sayyu Dantata, and Dahiru Mangal joined the other dignitaries, while traditional rulers, including the Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Usman; the Emir of Daura, Umar Faruq; and the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, were also present.
Minister of Agriculture Senator Abubakar Kyari, former Minister of Communications Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, former Attorney General Abubakar Malami, and Mr. Seyi Tinubu, son of President Tinubu, were among other notable attendees.
Findings from the Nigerian Airspace Management Ageny show that following the influx of Nigeria’s elite to Daura, the Katsina airport recorded over 130 aircraft landings and departures between Monday and Tuesday.
President Tinubu arrived at the airport from Abuja at 1:42 p.m. and inspected a guard of honour before the Nigerian Air Force plane conveying the remains of his predecessor landed at exactly 1:51 p.m.
Former President Buhari passed away on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in a London hospital.
Vice President Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, President Buhari’s wife Aisha, and other family members accompanied President Buhari’s remains to Nigeria.
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.
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 Nuhu, 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.
The funeral prayer held at the PMB Helicopter Ground in Daura saw an outpouring of emotion from citizens across the state and nation who came to bid farewell to one of Nigeria’s most influential leaders.
Prayers were offered to Almighty Allah for the forgiveness of his shortcomings and to grant him Aljannatul Firdaus, while strength and comfort were sought for the bereaved family, the people of Daura, Katsina State, and all Nigerians mourning this monumental loss.
The state funeral featured full military honours, including a 21-gun salute.
Following the funeral prayers (Salatul Janazah), the former President was laid to rest at his residence in Daura as large crowds gathered to pay their last respects.
Buhari’s final journey began on Tuesday afternoon, when his body arrived from London at Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina.
President Tinubu and other dignitaries, including Vice President Kashim Shettima, President Umaru Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissau, Prime Minister of Niger Republic, Ali Lamine Zeine, former President of Niger Republic, Issoufou Mahamadou, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, governors and business leaders, escorted the late President’s remains on the hour-long drive to Daura.
President Tinubu and the late President’s close family members witnessed the final interment at 5.50pm.
Meanwhile, the tributes have continued to pour in from appointees of the former President, especially from the women who served on his cabinet. Ex-Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Rabi’atu Aliyu, extolled Buhari as a man who was honest, resilient, enduring and tolerant.
In her tribute on Tuesday, Aliyu said, “I was privileged to serve under the late President Muhammadu Buhari. He was like a father to me. Our relationship dates back to before my appointment — I was a friend to his first daughter, and through that, I became a part of his family. He is the father of Noor.
“It takes a special kind of leader — even as a former military man — to be so detribalised, astute, simple, and honest in a way I have never seen before. President Buhari was known for appointing people based on merit, not ethnicity or personal ties. His household was a reflection of Nigeria: you would find Igbo, Yoruba, and others. I am from the Kakanda tribe in Lokoja, Kogi State, and yet, I feel this loss deeply, as if I just lost my own father.
“That says a lot about the kind of man he was: honest, resilient, enduring and tolerant. May God grant us all the strength to bear this great loss.”
Buhari’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Farouq, said she had lost a father.
Farouq wrote, “His passing is a great loss, a huge vacuum has been left. We have truly lost a father, a leader, a patriot, and a nationalist. The people of this country are deeply mourning this profound loss as I speak, but Allah loves him more. We pray to Almighty Allah to accept him into Jannatul Firdausi.
“Baba was a father, a leader, and a mentor, someone who gave everyone the opportunity to realise their dreams and aspirations without expecting favours or guarantees. He was loved and respected by all. He took pride in his team and upheld discipline and patriotism. I am very proud to have been part of his administration. He was a father, a mentor, and a true leader.
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