Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari has died today, Sunday, July 13, in London, at the age of 82.
News of the former President’s death was broken by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, in a post made on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The family of the former president has announced the passing of the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, this afternoon in a clinic in London. May Allah accept him in Aljannatul Firdaus, Amin,” Shehu said.
Before his death, the former President had battled with illness for some weeks in London, where he received treatment.
Muhammadu Buhari was a significant and persistent figure in Nigeria’s history. Born in 1942 in Daura, Katsina State, he joined the army at the age of 19 and rose through the ranks, ultimately emerging as Nigeria’s Head of State following the December 1983 coup.
After his regime was ended by a coup in August 1985, Buhari settled into the background, emerging years after Nigeria’s transition to democracy, to launch a long campaign to be its President.
He first ran under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2003 and 2007, and then under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in 2011. However, in 2013, Buhari’s luck changed; after five parties— the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA)— merged to form the All Progressives Congress (APC), he contested the 2015 election as its candidate and went on to win, unseating former President Goodluck Jonathan and the People’s Democratic Party, which had been in power for 16 years prior.
Though he campaigned on the “change” slogan, Buhari’s two-term presidency was hardly any different from the PDP’s 16 years.
Marred by insecurity, particularly in the country’s North, human rights violations, and economic hardship, Buhari’s rule came to a slow end in 2023 when he handed over to fellow party member Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Dead in London, where he frequently received medical care during his time as President, Buhari’s remains will be flown back to Nigeria, where he will be given a customary state funeral.
This is a developing story.
