Buhari and I Were Hospitalised Together In Same London Facility Before His Passing, Says Ex-Head Of State, Abdulsalami

Former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd.), has confirmed SaharaReporters’ earlier report that he and the late President Muhammadu Buhari were both receiving treatment at the same hospital in London before Buhari passed away.

In an interview with Channels Television monitored by SaharaReporters on Monday, Abdulsalami stated that he had just been discharged from the hospital when news of Buhari’s death broke.

“Unfortunately, we were in the same hospital together, but I have been discharged. So when I heard the news of his passing away, I quickly went there to condole with the family and see what could be done in order to get the corpse ready to be taken home,” he said.

SaharaReporters had exclusively reported that the two former Nigerian leaders were in critical condition in the United Kingdom and receiving medical attention for undisclosed but severe health issues worsened by age.

A reliable source in the presidency had disclosed that Abdulsalami was being treated for age-related complications.

Buhari’s death was announced on Sunday. SaharaReporters also reported that his remains would no longer arrive in the country today (Monday) as earlier expected, causing a shift in the scheduled burial.

In a post on his X handle Monday afternoon, Bashir Ahmad, a former aide to the late president, announced that Buhari’s body is now expected to arrive in Katsina by noon on Tuesday, with burial scheduled to take place in Daura at 2 p.m. the same day.

“The body of the late President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to arrive in Katsina at 12:00 noon tomorrow, with funeral according to Islamic rites scheduled to take place in his hometown of Daura by 2:00 PM on the same day,” Ahmad said.

Similarly, Empowered Newswire reported that logistics arrangements to bring the body back home on Monday had fallen through.

Informed sources in London told the newspaper that the earliest opportunity for the flight to make it to Nigeria is Tuesday, late in the morning or early afternoon.

This is based on several arrangements ongoing now in London, including flight timing from UK airports, hospital arrangements, and other logistics limitations.

In light of these logistical challenges, the plan to bury Buhari in Daura on Monday had been shifted to Tuesday, July 15, 2025.

Already, Vice President Kassim Shettima is in London and has been briefed about the changes in the plans. The VP was conveying the development to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the time of this report.

A source in the Presidential Villa also confirmed to Empowered Newswire that President Tinubu, who had earlier planned a special Federal Executive Council meeting for Tuesday in honour of the late former president, his predecessor in office, was already considering whether to shift the FEC session to Wednesday.

The President’s plan initially was to personally attend the Burial today in Daura and then preside over the special FEC meeting on Tuesday. (SaharaReporters)