Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has made a poignant revelation, stating that he was being treated in the same London hospital where former President Muhammadu Buhari passed away on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Abubakar shared his personal encounter with Buhari just before his demise, adding a unique perspective to the national mourning.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television from London on Monday, General Abubakar expressed his profound shock and sadness at Buhari’s death. He disclosed that his proximity to the late President in his final hours was purely coincidental, as he himself had been a patient there.

“Unfortunately, we were in the same hospital together,” Abdulsalami recounted. “I had just been discharged when I heard the news of his passing. I quickly returned to see the family and offer my support in preparing his body for the journey home.”

Former President Buhari, 82, died in a London clinic after a prolonged illness. His body is expected to be repatriated to Nigeria for burial on Tuesday in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State, marking a period of national mourning declared by President Bola Tinubu.

General Abubakar, who handed over power to a civilian administration in 1999, reflected on his decades-long relationship with Buhari, which dates back to 1962 when they both enlisted in the military. “He was my senior, and during the unfortunate civil war, we served in the same sector,” Abdulsalami stated, highlighting their shared history and camaraderie over more than six decades.

He further lauded Buhari’s character, emphasizing his integrity and incorruptibility. “You could trust Buhari with anything on this earth, and he would not betray you,” he affirmed. Abdulsalami also acknowledged Buhari’s efforts to instill discipline and fight corruption during both his military and democratic tenures, though he observed that some officials in Buhari’s democratic government “didn’t do as much as he expected of them.”

The former Head of State underscored the gravity of Buhari’s loss to Nigeria, noting President Bola Tinubu’s decision to dispatch Vice President Kashim Shettima to London to accompany the body back home. “That alone shows you the magnitude of this loss,” he added, emphasizing that Buhari’s death was a “big blow to Nigeria” and that “politics in Nigeria will certainly change, I hope for the better.”