Category: Featured

• Tinubu, African leaders, governors, ordinary folk bid ex-president farewell
  
• Katsina, Daura locked down

The sun rose solemnly over Daura yesterday as a chapter in Nigeria’s history came to a close.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari was laid to rest inside his compound in the ancient Northwest town amid a thunderous outpouring of emotion, reverence, and pageantry.

It was a full state burial, witnessed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, some West African leaders, governors, ministers, federal and state lawmakers, top government functionaries, military top brass, captains of industries, family members and ordinary folk.

The crowd was massive.

The military conducted proceedings and gave a 21-gun salute shortly before the body was lowered into the grave.

The dirge: “…Till we meet again,” among other songs for such an occasion, was sung.

The mournful songs at both Katsina and Daura moved many people to tears.

From the moment his body arrived at Katsina Airport at about 2 pm, it was clear this was no ordinary farewell.

A full military parade stood in honour, the soldiers’ boots striking the tarmac with precision, their eyes locked in solemn salute.

The Presidential jet bearing the body, on touchdown, commanded all the attention.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who led the delegation that brought the body from London, was the first to alight, followed by family members, including Buhari’s widow Aisha.

Generals from all the services – Army, Air Force and the Navy – decked in ceremonial uniform, brought the casket out of the aircraft.

Draped in the green-white-green national flag, it was received by President Tinubu.

After the airport ceremony, the body, taken into an ambulance, was accompanied by a long convoy on the trip to Daura, about 88 kilometres away.

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu accompanied Hajia Aisha Buhari and her children on the last journey for the former president.

The convoy departed the airport named after former President Umar Musa Yar’Adua at 3 pm.

Read Also: The Muhammadu Buhari legacy

The late Yar’Adua, who was elected President in 2007 in an election contested by the late President Buhari, died in office in 2010.

The late former Commander-in-Chief Buhari was granted a fitting tribute: a 21-gun salute cracked the silence over Daura’s skyline, echoing like a final punctuation to his decades-long service to the nation.

Across the northern state, normal life came to a standstill.

Katsina and Daura were effectively in lockdown, as dignitaries, businessmen, and mourners poured in from every corner of the country and beyond.

Streets leading to Buhari’s modest country home overflowed with people—supporters waving flags, clerics offering prayers, and locals simply standing in quiet reflection.

A sea of traditional turbans, agbadas, military uniforms, and Western suits blended into a singular tapestry of national grief.

How the funeral unfolded

President Tinubu, according to his spokesman Bayo Onanuga, arrived at the airport from Abuja at 1:42 pm, his expression a mixture of resolve and sorrow.

Standing beside him were African counterparts—President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine of the Niger Republic and former Niger President Mohammad Bazoum.

The crowd, the ceremony, and the presence of African heads of state—all pointed to one truth: Muhammadu Buhari departed not quietly but in a blaze of glory.

A host of elder statesmen and people from all walks of life all came to pay their last respects to a man who once steered Nigeria through turbulent times.

Inside the family compound, emotions boiled over. Some climbed trees to catch a glimpse.

Dikko Radda, the governor of Katsina State and a longtime loyalist of the former president, visibly fought back tears during his tribute.

His voice trembled as he spoke of Buhari’s austere integrity, his lifelong dedication to Nigeria, and his enduring impact on the region and continent.

President Tinubu inspected a guard of honour before the Nigerian Air Force plane conveying the remains of his predecessor landed at exactly 1:51 p.m.

Apart from Shettima and Aisha Buhari, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, was on the delegation to London.

President Tinubu, along with Shettima, President Embaló, Prime Minister Zeine, former President Bazoum, 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 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 dirge, passing through a full military guard of honour comprising six officers and 96 soldiers drawn from the 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.

The funeral prayer (Salatul Janazah) was said by the Chief Imam of the Central Mosque in Daura, Sheikh Salisu Rabiu. 

President Tinubu and the late president’s close family members witnessed the interment at 5.50 p.m.

One of Buhari’s friends, Sulaiman Yarin-Katsina, believed that the late president remained deeply connected to his community throughout his life due to his unwavering simplicity.

Although heavy security dominated Daura, including the entrance of the Daura Emirate Council, commercial activities continued uninterruptedly along the major road linking to the deceased’s residence.

Prominent leaders present included Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin, Senator Kawu Sumaila, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, Senator Sani Bello, former Senator Abu Ibrahim, and former Senator Yariman Bakura.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was among those who arrived early at the Buhari compound in Daura.

Security chiefs in attendance included Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, former Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), and former Director General of DSS Yusuf Bichi.

Governor Radda led the state government delegation, which included Deputy Governor Faruq Lawal Jobe, Speaker of the State House of Assembly Nasir Yahaya Daura, Secretary to the State Government Abdullahi Garba Faskari, and members of the State Executive Council.

Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle; Minister of Agriculture Senator Abubakar Kyari; former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, and former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami were also present.

The ceremony was also attended by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Chairman and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, alongside governors Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano), Uba Sani (Kaduna), and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa).

Others were Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Ahmed Aliyu (Sokoto), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Monday Okpebholo (Edo),  Bassey Otu (Cross River), and Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) chairman Hope Uzodimma (Imo).

Former governors in attendance included Ibrahim Shehu Shema (Katsina), Ali Modu Sheriff (Borno), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), and Yahaya Bello (Kogi), among others.

Private sector leaders included Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Alhaji Sayyu Dantata, and Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal, while traditional rulers, including Emirs of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir Usman; Daura -HRH Alhaji Faruq Umar Faruq, and Kano – Aminu Ado Bayero were also present.

In this piece, BOLAJI OGUNDELE describes the sights and moods at the burial of former President Muhammadu Buhari, from the moment his remains were received.

In Katsina and Daura, the air carried a heavy stillness—the kind that follows the passing of a giant. Former President Muhammadu Buhari, who once ruled Nigeria as both military and civilian leader, had finally returned home. The man known by millions as Mai Gaskiya—the Honest One—was back on his native soil, not to govern, but to rest.

 From his final breath in a London hospital, to the last shovel of earth in Daura, former President Muhammadu Buhari’s last journey stirred a tapestry of national memory, reverence, and reflection. When the wheels of the Nigerian Air Force plane touched down at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina at 1:59 p.m., the mood among those present crystallized into one simple sentiment: Nigeria had lost a pillar.

The casket, draped in the Nigerian flag, was not carried as freight in the belly of the plane. It had flown in the cabin—among family and dignitaries—as a symbol of honour to a man who, left a distinct footprint on the sands of history. His widow, Aisha, and close relatives, alighted first, descending the steps in dignified silence. Behind them came the coffin, emerging not just as a container of mortality, but as a national relic of service, sacrifice, and statesmanship.

 President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived Katsina at 1:45 p.m.— 15 minutes before the funeral jet. In doing so, he sent a strong signal of respect for his predecessor. Clad in a blue agbada, the president disembarked from the aircraft and was greeted by Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda, other senior government officials, and traditional rulers. There were no speeches. None were needed. The moment belonged to grief and solemn remembrance.

 Vice President Kashim Shettima, who had led the Federal Government’s delegation from London, also joined the President in receiving the body. With him were Presidential Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila; Deputy Chief of Staff Senator Ibrahim Hadejia; Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar; and Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum. Their journey back home had been long and emotional—carrying not only Buhari’s remains but also the silent weight of a nation’s mourning.

The tarmac ceremony unfolded with the precision of military tradition. Soldiers snapped into salute, a band played a muted march, and the pallbearers carried the casket gently along a red carpet rolled out across the runway. The procession—marked by crisp uniformity and sombre silence—paused briefly as President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima walked behind the casket in symbolic submission to the finality of death.

 The convoy set off for Daura, with a solemn dignity that rarely accompanies political processions in Nigeria. Along the highway from Katsina to Daura, thousands of Nigerians had gathered to pay their last respects. There was no noise, no cheering, no chaos—just a sea of pensive faces and hands raised in farewell.

 In contrast to the emotionally dense scene at the airport, the atmosphere in Daura was mournfully patient. The streets were hushed by sunrise, as townspeople prepared themselves for the arrival of their son. All over Daura, especially around the late President’s residence, men sat on mats under neem trees, women whispered Qur’anic verses, and children clung to the hands of their parents. Some had travelled from villages miles away  to say goodbye.

 The Buhari family residence in Daura, a simple and modest compound, had been transformed into the epicentre of national mourning. Here, the man who governed a country of over 200 million people chose to be laid to rest—not in Abuja, not in Lagos, but in the earth of his forebears. A brief lying-in-state was held, attended by President Tinubu, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, and foreign leaders – Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, Niger Republic’s Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine, and former Nigerien President Issoufou Mahamadou.

 The Chief Imam of Daura, Sheikh Salisu Rabiu, led the Janazah prayer—Salatul Janazah—for the late President. The prayer, silent yet powerful, was offered by hundreds of mourners. As they bowed in reverence, their synchronized movements echoed unity, reminding all present of the religious simplicity that defined Buhari’s own lifestyle.

 After the prayers, a solemn hush fell over the compound as the corpse was slowly carried to its final resting place in the courtyard. Before the interment, the Chief of Defence Staff read aloud the official citation of the General—his life, his service, his journey. It was a tribute that spoke of discipline, sacrifice, and devotion to Nigeria. it was followed by a 21-gun salute, reverberating through the skies of Daura like a final military call to rest.

 At 5:55 p.m., Buhari was committed to the earth. His flag was carefully folded and handed to his widow in a moment that brought tears to many eyes. Aisha Buhari stood firm, surrounded by her children, the quiet strength of her grief visible to all. As the last handful of soil was sprinkled, the final chapter of Buhari’s life was closed—not with pomp, but with prayer.

 President Tinubu stood silently for minutes before stepping away from the grave. In a brief statement later, he described Buhari as “a patriot, a soldier, and a statesman who dedicated his life to the unity and progress of Nigeria.”

 The burial was a key element of the seven-day mourning, with Nigerian flags flown at half-mast across the country and prayers scheduled in mosques and churches nationwide. In Daura, the mourning will linger longer. The people did not just lose a former President—they lost a neighbour, a symbol, and, for many, a living legend.

 Buhari was never an ordinary leader. From the moment he seized power in 1983 as a young General determined to root out corruption, to his return to democratic politics and election as president in 2015, he occupied a complex place in the national consciousness. Critics questioned his methods; supporters praised his integrity. But on the day of his burial, those debates fell away. What remained was the image of a man who, through decades of public service, gave of himself to the Nigeria.

That final image—his body lowered into the sand of Daura—summarised a life that began humbly, rose through the ranks, commanded a nation, and finally returned to the earth that bore him.

As dusk settled over Daura and the crowd began to disperse, silence returned. It was not the awkward silence of emptiness, but the solemn hush of history. The streets were once again quiet, the trees swayed gently in the northern wind, and the call to evening prayer rolled across the rooftops like a balm.

Inside the Buhari compound, the family remained in private grief, receiving visitors.. Outside, Nigerians resumed their journeys home, carrying with them a story they would tell for generations—that on the 15th of July, 2025, in the heart of Daura, a nation buried not just a man, but an era.

Buhari rests—not behind marble gates or under golden domes, but among his people, in the town that never stopped calling him Baba. His final home is the same red earth that shaped him—a soldier, a statesman, and a son of Daura.