Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, have arrived in London to receive the remains of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, who died on Sunday in a London clinic at the age of 82 following a prolonged illness.
The two top officials are leading a high-powered Nigerian delegation sent to repatriate the former president’s body.
They touched down in London early Monday and were received by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, alongside other senior government representatives.
President Buhari, who served two terms in office from 2015 to 2023, had been in and out of the UK for medical reasons during and after his presidency.
His final days were spent under medical supervision in a private clinic in London.
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The Nigerian High Commission in London has begun arrangements for a brief diplomatic handover ceremony, after which Buhari’s body will be flown back to Nigeria for a state burial.
An official statement from the Presidency described Buhari’s passing as “a monumental loss to the nation and a moment of deep sorrow for all Nigerians.”
Further details on the funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by the Presidency in the coming hours.