Fresh revelations have emerged regarding the final hours of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on Sunday in London at the age of 82. His close nephew and longtime confidant, Mallam Mamman Daura, alongside other family members, shared emotional details of the late leader’s last moments.
Speaking to THISDAY, Daura revealed that he spent Saturday evening with Buhari at the London Clinic, where the former president was receiving treatment. According to him, Buhari was in high spirits and optimistic about being discharged later in the week.
“There were no signs that he wouldn’t make it,” Daura said. “We spent time talking and laughing. He discussed his plans to return to Nigeria this week and even ensured that arrangements were made to clear hotel bills for those who had travelled to London on his behalf.”
Daura said he left Buhari around 9 p.m. on Saturday, planning to return the next day. However, by midday on Sunday, Buhari reportedly began experiencing severe breathing difficulties while having breakfast. Despite doctors’ efforts to stabilize him, he passed away around 4:30 p.m.
“He looked forward to seeing his doctors on Sunday morning,” Daura added. “But by afternoon, he developed breathing problems. Doctors rushed to manage the situation, but by 4:30 p.m., he gave up the ghost.”
Meanwhile, former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar disclosed that he was also receiving treatment in the same hospital at the time of Buhari’s passing. In a national television interview, Abdulsalami said he had just been discharged when he received the news and immediately returned to the hospital to console the family and help facilitate arrangements for the repatriation of the late president’s remains.
Abdulsalami, who shared a relationship with Buhari that spanned over six decades, recalled that they both joined the Nigerian military in 1962 and fought in the same sector during the civil war. He described Buhari as “a quiet and exceptionally honest man.”
“You could trust Buhari with anything on this earth, and he would never betray you,” he said.
Reflecting on Buhari’s legacy, Abdulsalami commended the late president’s commitment to fighting corruption, though he acknowledged that some members of his administration failed to meet expectations.
“When he became President in a democratic setting, he did his best to fight corruption. Unfortunately, some officials under his administration were found wanting,” he said.
Describing Buhari’s passing as a “huge blow” to Nigeria and the African continent, Abdulsalami praised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to send Vice President Kashim Shettima and Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila to London, noting that it reflected the magnitude of the national loss.
“With the passing of Buhari, Nigerian politics will certainly shift. I hope it changes for the better,” he concluded.
