A high-level presidential delegation dispatched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived in London to coordinate the repatriation of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari’s remains to Nigeria.
The delegation, led by Vice President Kashim Shettima and accompanied by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, landed in the United Kingdom on Monday morning. Their mission is to oversee final arrangements to ensure the dignified return of Buhari, who passed away on Sunday afternoon in a London hospital after battling a prolonged illness.
At the airport, the team was formally received by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum.
Confirming the team’s arrival, Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), shared a brief update with the press.
President Tinubu, immediately after announcing Buhari’s death, directed Vice President Shettima to personally lead the delegation to London. In addition, the President ordered all national flags to fly at half-mast across the country as a mark of respect and national mourning.
The late Muhammadu Buhari, who first ruled Nigeria as a military Head of State from 1984 to 1985 before returning as a democratically elected President from 2015 to 2023, was widely seen as a figure of discipline, integrity, and patriotism.
Preparations are ongoing for the repatriation of Buhari’s remains to Nigeria, where he will be honoured with state burial rites and official mourning ceremonies.
