The ancient town of Daura in Katsina State was brought to a solemn standstill yesterday as dignitaries from across Nigeria and beyond converged to pay their last respects to the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
The atmosphere was charged with grief, reverence, and a deep sense of national loss as Buhari’s remains were committed to mother earth.
It was not merely a burial, it was a national moment of reflection; a remarkable gathering of Nigeria’s political elite, technocrats, business moguls, farmers, and artisans, among others. Persons with disabilities, the healthy and the sick, all found their way to Daura.
The late president, affectionately called Mai Gaskiya (Mr Integrity), was honoured by those whose lives he touched in diverse ways.
Tributes flooded airwaves, dominated headlines, and reverberated through online platforms and traditional town criers alike, all testifying to the passing of a towering figure in Nigeria’s history.
Among the earliest dignitaries to arrive Daura on Tuesday was former Governor Yahaya Bello, CON, who came on a condolence visit. He joined some of the late President’s closest allies, including Professor Isa Ali Pantami, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, former Senate President Ahmad Lawan, former Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami; former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff; Senator Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto, Senator Adamu Aliero of Kebbi, former FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, and Bashir Ahmad, the late president’s media aide.
Bello arrived Daura around 11:30am and joined these close allies in receiving a steady stream of dignitaries: the 15th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero; the Emir of Zazzau, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai; former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola; former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar; and a host of other eminent personalities.
Shortly after, Professor Pantami informed attendees that the remains of the late president had left Katsina and were en route to Daura.
Dignitaries were then directed to the designated open field for the Janazah (Islamic funeral) prayer.
What followed was a spectacle of national mourning. An overwhelming and emotionally charged crowd surged through Daura. The human sea was so massive that even security aides lost contact with their principals.
Elderly mourners gasped for air as the military struggled to maintain the ṣaff (the shoulder-to-shoulder formation of Muslims before a congregational prayer).
The situation escalated further when the remains of President Buhari arrived. In a moment of raw humanity and overwhelming emotion, the dignitaries in the front row as shown in pix1 were unintentionally pushed several metres away from the body, owing to the uncontrollable crowd.
Amid this chaos, former Governor Yahaya Bello stood out, not for his prominence, but for the depth of his emotional connection to the deceased. With teary eyes, he pressed forward, not out of protocol, but personal conviction.
Disconnected from his security detail, he insisted on reaching the corpse of the man he regarded as a father figure, mentor, and guide. For Bello, touching Buhari’s body and offering a brief but heartfelt prayer at his side was a sacred mission, not negotiable.
As shown in the attached footage, Bello, dressed in his flowing babariga, maneuvered through the dense crowd. Against all odds, he made it to Buhari’s body, quietly muttering prayers.
For him, that moment marked a personal fulfillment, an intimate farewell to the man whose ideals, leadership, and personal example shaped his political and personal philosophy.
Reflecting later, Bello said no number of battalions could have contained the crowd that came to honour Buhari in Daura. “His legacy was not about flamboyance or power, but about simplicity, discipline, and integrity,” he said.
Indeed, Nigerians have attempted to describe the late president in various ways; some through political lenses, others from personal or ideological perspectives. But no matter the vantage point, one truth remains universal: it is nearly impossible to speak of Muhammadu Buhari without acknowledging his rare and unmatched integrity, incorruptibility, and austere commitment to principle.
As the sun set over Daura, the crowd slowly dispersed, but the weight of Buhari’s legacy remained etched in the hearts of those he led and those, like Yahaya Bello, who called him a father.
– ONOGWU Isah Muhammed, Esq
