According to a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Tinubu arrived from Abuja at exactly 1:42 p.m., where he first inspected a guard of honour. Just minutes later, at 1:51 p.m., a Nigerian Air Force aircraft carrying Buhari’s remains touched down.
The casket, draped in the Nigerian national flag, was brought out under heavy security by a team of nine senior military pallbearers. The solemn procession was witnessed by top dignitaries, including the First Lady, SenatorOluremi Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Buhari’s widow, Aisha Buhari, visibly emotional, accompanied her husband’s remains from London, where the former President passed away on Sunday, 13 July 2025, in a hospital.
Also present to honour the statesman were President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine, and former Niger President Issoufou Mahamadou.
Following a dignified handover, the casket was placed in a waiting military hearse for a one-hour journey to Daura, Buhari’s hometown, where final funeral prayers and burial rites, in line with Islamic tradition, are being held.
The airport ceremony concluded with full military honours, including a 21-gun salute, symbolising the nation’s final farewell to one of its most prominent political figures.
