Former President Muhammadu Buhari has died in a UK hospital.
Glamtush reports that former President Muhammadu Buhari has died at the age of 82.
This news platform understands that Buhari’s death was confirmed in a terse statement by his former special adviser, Garba Shehu, on Sunday evening.
According to him, Buhari died on Sunday at a hospital in the United Kingdom.
Shehu’s statement read, “The family of the former president has announced the passing on of the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, this afternoon in a clinic in London.
“May Allah accept him in Aljannatul Firdaus.”
The 82-year-old politician served as military head of state between January 1984 and August 1985.
Buhari was appointed Executive Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund in 1994 by the Sani Abacha regime, overseeing major infrastructure interventions across the country.
He contested the presidency three times unsuccessfully, in 2003, 2007, and 2011, before clinching victory in 2015 under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, defeating then-incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.
He was re-elected in 2019 and completed his second term in 2023.
Buhari’s 2015 inauguration marked a turning point in Nigeria’s democratic history, as it was the first time an opposition candidate unseated a sitting president through the ballot.
Throughout his service, he was decorated with several honours, including the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, Commander of the Federal Republic, and military medals such as the Defence Service Medal, National Service Medal, and the Forces Service Star.
He also held the Global Seal of Integrity and the Congo Medal.
Expectedly, his demise has triggered an outpouring of condolences from Nigerians, especially political leaders. President Bola Tinubu, who took over from Buhari in 2013, 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 also ordered that flags be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect for the departed leader.
