A high-level presidential delegation led by Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in London to coordinate the repatriation of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on Sunday in a London hospital after a prolonged illness.
The delegation, acting on the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, includes the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and was received at the airport by Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar and Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum.
According to a statement issued by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), the team is tasked with overseeing final protocols and ensuring Buhari’s remains are returned to Nigeria with full state honours.
In a national broadcast on Sunday, President Tinubu paid tribute to his predecessor, describing him as a “symbol of discipline, patriotism, and integrity”, and ordered flags to be flown at half-staff across the country in mourning.
Buhari, who previously served as military Head of State from 1984 to 1985 and as Nigeria’s elected President from 2015 to 2023, will be accorded a state funeral. Preparations are underway for a series of official ceremonies and national tributes to honour his legacy.
