Shettima departs London with Buhari’s remains for burial in Daura

Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed London with the remains of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who died on Sunday, July 13, in a London hospital following a prolonged illness.

The late president is scheduled to be buried later today in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State, in accordance with Islamic rites.

The development was confirmed on Tuesday morning by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President.

“I can only confirm that the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has departed London for Nigeria in the company of some family members of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari,” Nkwocha stated.

Nkwocha added that other members of the federal delegation sent to London by President Tinubu have also left for Nigeria. The delegation includes Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar; and Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia.

Vice President Shettima had arrived in London on Sunday shortly after President Tinubu officially announced Buhari’s death and instructed that he lead a high-powered delegation to bring the former president’s body back to Nigeria.

President Tinubu has ordered national flags to be flown at half-mast in honour of the late leader, whose passing has drawn tributes from within and outside Nigeria. Buhari, who governed from 2015 to 2023, remains a prominent figure in the country’s democratic history.