Grief hung heavily over Daura on Tuesday, as the agrarian hometown of former President Muhammadu Buhari hosted his final rites. Rain fell as if in mourning, soaking the Katsina soil where Buhari’s remains were interred amid solemn prayers, tributes, and military honours.
“The cloud over Daura was heavily laden with grief, sadness, and mixed emotions on Tuesday,” the original report noted.
“The sombre cloud later shed tears, soaking the soil of the rustic town in Katsina State, as friends and family members laid the remains of former President Muhammadu Buhari to rest in the agrarian community.”
The body of the 82-year-old former leader, wrapped in the Nigerian green-white-green flag, was lowered into the ground at precisely 5:50 pm, as his children, family members, and close associates stood by in mourning.
Military honours, including gun salutes and ceremonial processions, marked the funeral of the former Commander-in-Chief.
Islamic rites were also observed before the burial, as tradition and protocol blended to honour the statesman.
Daura, not only Buhari’s final resting place but also his birthplace, echoed with memories of the man revered by many in the North as “Mai Gaskiya”—Hausa for “the truth-teller.”
Buhari’s leadership spanned nearly a decade, serving first as a military ruler from January 1984 to August 1985, and later as a civilian president from May 2015 to May 2023, becoming one of Nigeria’s longest-serving leaders.
Among those who came to pay their last respects were First Lady Aisha Buhari; President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima; former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Atiku Abubakar; business magnate Aliko Dangote; and a host of governors, ministers, royal fathers, and religious leaders.
“Buhari’s body is lowered into the grave,” read a post from Channels Television, capturing the deeply emotional moment.
Before the interment, Buhari’s remains were received in Katsina by President Tinubu after arriving from the United Kingdom, where the ex-president died on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at The London Clinic, following a long illness.
“Born on December 17, 1942, Mai Gaskiya served as the country’s military head of state between January 1984 and August 1985. He later returned as Nigeria’s democratically elected president in May 2015, a position he held for eight unbroken years until May 2023, when he handed over to his party’s candidate, Tinubu.”
Tuesday was declared a national day of mourning by the Federal Government, with flags flying at half-mast in honour of Buhari’s legacy.
While many Nigerians will remember him for his firm stance against corruption and indiscipline, his presidency leaves behind a mixed legacy marked by praise and criticism in equal measure.
