Former Nigerian President and former military general Muhammadu Buhari died in London at the age of 82, at about 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, 13, 2025, after a “prolonged illness,” according to the statement from the presidential press office released on Sunday.
Buhari first seized power in a 1983 coup and served until 1985. He returned to lead Nigeria from 2015 to 2023, becoming the first opposition candidate to unseat an incumbent.
In an official condolence statement released on Sunday evening, Nigeria’s current president, Bola Ahmed, declared a seven-day national mourning period in honour of his predecessor. He said the nation would pay its final respects to the former leader with dignity and honor, starting with the lowering of all national flags to half-mast across the country from Sunday.
He offered his condolences to Buhari’s wife and ordered his vice president to travel to the UK to accompany Buhari’s body back to Nigeria.
Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will be buried in the compound of his house in the northern state of Katsina on Tuesday, according to the state’s Governor Dikko Radda.