The United Kingdom announced on Sunday the death of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at the age of 82, following a prolonged illness. Buhari had been receiving frequent medical treatment in British hospitals in recent years.
Nigeria’s current president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, confirmed the news in an official statement, saying he had spoken with Buhari’s widow and dispatched Vice President Kashim Shettima to London to oversee the repatriation of the body.
Buhari served as Nigeria’s head of state twice—first as a military ruler following a coup, and later as a democratically elected president for two consecutive terms from 2015 to 2023.
He was the first opposition candidate in Nigerian history to win the presidency through the ballot box, defeating the incumbent in the landmark 2015 election.
His presidency was defined by major challenges, particularly the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency and efforts to combat corruption in the oil-rich nation, though his administration struggled to deliver decisive results on both fronts.
Buhari did not run in the February 2023 elections and peacefully handed over power to President Tinubu, after which he withdrew entirely from public life.
