Taiwo Popoola
The body of Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, began its final journey — a quiet road trip to Daura, the northern town where his life began and where it will now find rest.
Earlier in the day, a military aircraft touched down at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina around 2:00 p.m., carrying Buhari’s remains from London, where he passed away on Sunday, July 13, at the age of 82, after a short illness.
The atmosphere at the airport was heavy with emotion.
A military honour guard stood at attention as the casket — draped and dignified — was received by family members, close associates, and top government officials.
The moment, though steeped in protocol, was deeply personal for many presents.
Vice President Kashim Shettima led the federal delegation from the UK, a responsibility handed to him by President Bola Tinubu.
The president himself had arrived earlier in Katsina and stood alongside Governor Dikko Umar Radda as they received the body of a man who, for decades, loomed large in Nigeria’s political and military history.
Also present was First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, joining others in what has become a national moment of reflection and farewell.
Once the ceremonial formalities were over, the casket was quietly loaded into a hearse.
The convoy then departed for Daura by road — a deliberately intimate decision, perhaps echoing the late president’s preference for simplicity and closeness to his roots.
The streets along the route were lined with mourners — some with tears, others in silent prayer.
In Daura, preparations were already in place for the Islamic burial rites. Buhari will be laid to rest in line with the traditions he upheld so firmly in life.
From his early days as a military ruler in the 1980s to his two-term civilian presidency between 2015 and 2023, Buhari’s legacy remains a subject of debate and devotion.
But on this day, across political lines and ideological divides, Nigerians gathered to say goodbye to the man many called Mai Gaskiya — the Honest One.
A sea of mourners has now converged in Daura. dignitaries, traditional rulers, foreign envoys, and everyday citizens — all coming together for a final farewell to a leader whose story is interwoven with Nigeria’s own.
