Former President Muhammadu Buhari has died at the age of 82. He died at the London Clinic on Sunday.
Buhari’s death was confirmed in a terse statement by his former special adviser, Garba Shehu, on Sunday evening.
“The family of the former president has announced the passing of the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, this afternoon in a clinic in London,” he said.
However, the nature of the illness was not disclosed. The former president had been in London for the last couple of days undergoing treatment before his death on Sunday.
A former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd); a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; and a former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, visited the clinic.
It was also gathered that Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State, Governor Umar Bago of Niger State, Chairman of BUA Group, Abdulsamad Rabiu, and the Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tugga, were among the early callers.
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Last week, Shehu said, “Buhari has been discharged. It was not as intense as reported. He was hospitalized, and now he is being cared for. He is in a recovery mode.
“Each day, he gets better, but until it’s all over, you can’t say it is over. He looked much better after leaving the office than before he became president. He is 82, he eats healthy, and exercises regularly.”
Buhari was Nigeria’s president from 2015 to 2023. He also served as the military Head of State between January 1984 and August 1985.
READ ALSO:VP Shettima, Gbajabiamila To Accompany Buhari’s Body To Nigeria
‘Deep Condolences’
Expectedly, his demise has triggered an outpouring of condolences from Nigerians, especially political leaders. President Bola Tinubu, who took over from Buhari in 2023, was among to first to mourn the former leader.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, in a short message, said Tinubu, Buhari’s ally, has asked Vice President Kashim Shettima to proceed to the United Kingdom to accompany the former president’s body back to Nigeria.
“President Tinubu has spoken with Mrs Aishat Buhari, the former President’s widow, and offered his deep condolences,” the statement added.
Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor, also ordered that flags be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect for the departed leader.
Here are some quick facts about the former military and civilian leader:
- Buhari was born into a Muslim family in Daura, Katsina State, North-West Nigeria, in 1942.
- He attended the Katsina Provincial Secondary School (now Government College, Katsina) from 1956 to 1961.
- He joined the Nigerian Army in 1961 when he was admitted to the Nigerian Military Training College, Kaduna.
- He was Nigeria’s second longest serving leader:— 9 years, 7 months and 27 days; He spent 1 year, 7 months and 27 days as military leader (Dec 31, 1983 to Aug 27, 1985) and eight years as democratically elected President (May 29, 2015, to May 29, 2023).
- He was the first military governor of Borno State in 1976.
Buhari, the Making of a General
Born on December 17, 1942, Buhari was raised in Daura, Katsina – his home state – and was brought up by his mother following his father’s death when he was four.
Educated largely in Katsina, UK, India, and the US, Buhari became the governor of Borno State in 1975. His illustrious military career saw him working as General Officer Commanding, 4th Infantry Division, and General Officer Commanding, 3rd Armored Division, military secretary, and member of, Supreme Military Council.
He was also a Federal Commissioner of Petroleum Resources and Chairman, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
The 1983 military coup saw General Buhari rise to the position of the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. His regime as a military leader was renowned for instilling discipline among citizens, popularised by the War Against Indiscipline.
He was in that position until August 1985 when Ibrahim Babangida took over power. In 1994, Buhari was appointed as the Executive Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF).
A Cult Following, Democratic Milestone
The Katsina-born politician was married to Safinatu Yusuf between 1971 and 1988. He later married Aisha Halilu in 1989. Both marriages produced ten children.
Until his ascendancy to power, Buhari enjoyed massive support, especially in the northern region of the country, and was viewed as incorruptible. He contested Nigeria’s top seat in 2003, 2007, and 2011 but did not win.
However, in 2015, Buhari took over power under the All Progressives Congress (APC) – a merger party – displacing incumbent ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
That win marked a milestone in Nigeria’s democratic setting, the first time a sitting president had lost out since the reinstatement of democracy in 1999. It also broke the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s 16-year grip on power at the federal level.
Buhari’s administration was marked by a campaign against corruption and an infrastructure drive. But critics accused the Buhari administration of targeting political opponents.
Despite the affluence that marked the presidential seat, ex-President Buhari maintained a low profile and believed that he was not in that position to amass wealth.
In 2015, the military general declared his assets, listing some farms, five homes, two mud houses, an orchard, and a ranch with 270 cows.
Others included shares in three companies, plots of land in Port Harcourt and Kano, and $150,000 in a personal bank account.
More facts about Buhari
- He was the Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources: 1976
First Chairman, NNPC: 1977
- He was Chairman, Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF): 1994
- On December 31, 1983, as a General, Buhari became the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
- His regime as a military leader was renowned for instilling discipline among citizens, popularised by the War Against Indiscipline.
- Buhari joined politics in 2003, following Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
- He contested the presidential election five times, contesting under three political parties(ANPP, CPC, and APC), lost three times in 2003, 2007, and 2011, and won in his fourth attempt at the presidency in 2015 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, defeating the then-incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan.
- Buhari was elected and inaugurated twice as President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria in 2015 and 2019.
- The former president was married to Safinatu Yusuf from 1971 to 1988, and Aisha Halilu since 1989.
- He was blessed with 10 children.
- He died in a clinic in London on July 13, 2025, aged 82.
‘Spartan lifestyle’
After he handed over power to his party man and ally Tinubu on May 29th, 2023, Buhari retired to Daura, where he spent most of his time. He rarely made public appearances.
At the beginning of the year, when the ruling APC had a caucus meeting in his home state, Buhari maintained what Shehu had described as a “Spartan lifestyle”.
At the event, the late president said, “After my eight years as a civil president, I have only three houses; one in Daura and two in Kaduna. I have given one out for renting, where I get money for feeding.”
About two years after handing over, Buhari relocated to one of his houses in Kaduna.
As president, his health was a subject of scrutiny, especially in 2017 when he spent more than five months treating an unnamed illness.
During that period, he handed over to his vice, Yemi Osinbajo. But his extended absences and a lack of transparency about his health sparked rumours that he had died and had been replaced by a body double.
His administration was, however, quick to dismiss concerns about the health status of the former governor of Borno State.
In his last days, Buhari’s residence in Kaduna and Daura became a Mecca of sorts as several Nigerians paid homage to the former president.
One such person was the outgoing president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, who visited him in Kaduna.
“I visited President Buhari to express my deep appreciation for his incredible support of my nomination by President Jonathan for election as President, African Development Bank,” Adesina posted on X.
“He strongly stood by me in difficult times, which ensured my re-election. Thank you, Sir.”
In April, some APC governors, led by the Chairman of the All Progressives Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, visited him in Kaduna.
After the visit, he said, the governors “fraternised with him; we stayed with him and are ready to go back to our various businesses”.
