Is Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari dead or alive?
Nigerian officials maintain leader 'alive and well' as protests against death rumours hit capital Abuja.
Ludovica Iaccino By Ludovica Iaccino
February 2, 2017 09:09 GMT
Rumours that Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is dead are persisting, in spite of the presidency's efforts to dismiss such claims. Allegations emerged earlier in January after Buhari, 74, announced he would take a 10-day-long vacation to relax and undergo a medical checkup in the UK.

Some local media speculated on whether Buhari was going abroad to seek medical attention, as he did in 2016 when he travelled to London to treat an ear infection.

The claims were dismissed by both the president and his spokesperson Femi Adesina, stressing that the leader would resume office on 6 February.

However, rumours on the leader's alleged death continued. Fake versions of news websites Metro UK and the Huffington Post – both domains were registered in Arizona, US, and are owned by the same company – reported respectively that Buhari had died and "was caught committing suicide".

The claims were quickly dismissed by Buhari's spokesperson Garba Shehu, who reassured Nigerians that the president was "alive and well."

"President Buhari is not magical. He cannot be holidaying in the UK and be in Germany, dead or alive at the same time," he said after some claimed Buhari had died in Germany. "He is unlike a past President [Goodluck Jonathan] who was at Ota, with Chief Obasanjo and attending the Trump inauguration in D.C, being in two places at the same time!"

One day later, the presidency released pictures of Buhari "relaxing" in the UK. However, some alleged the pictures had been photo-shopped, with some calling on Buhari to personally dismiss the death claims.


On 31 January, the presidency said Buhari had phoned minister of youth and sports, Solomon Dalung, to offer his condolences for the death of his wife.

Meanwhile, civil society groups protested at the headquarters of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the Central Bank of Nigeria, in the federal capital of Abuja, calling for an end to the death rumours.

'What's wrong with a vacation?'

Buhari is to return to Nigeria and resume office in four days. Some have criticised the leader for going on vacation just days after the army mistakenly killed dozens of refugees and aid workers in an airstrike supposed to target Boko Haram militants.

Others also took to social media to comment on Buhari's holiday, with some suggesting he should have travelled to the country's northeast to visit survivors of the army's bombing, which occurred in the town of Rann, Borno state.

Before leaving Nigeria, Buhari said vice-president Yemi Osinbajo would act as president in his absence. The leader added had met security chiefs to discuss, among other things, the progress of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) troops in The Gambia.

Finally, responding to questions on the nature of his holiday, the leader told journalists at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport: "What's wrong with going on vacation? Didn't I go last year at the same time? "

Nigeria up close: Check out our Flipboard magazine

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/nigerias-president-muhammadu-buhari-dead-alive-1604423

Again!!

Why can't some Nigerians wait for on the 6th....na wahh oo



#IstandwithBuhari.

PMB is hale and hearty.He's going nowhere until he has cleared the mess he created. We believe in him and voted for him ,he's got nowhere to go until he has fulfilled his promises or disgraced out of office if he couldn't.
God bless Nigeria.
#IstandwithBuhari

Jeffrey12:
Why can't some Nigerians wait for on the 6th....na wahh oo



#IstandwithBuhari.

Ask IB Times

But you have to wonder, other than the so-called pictures they are releasing, who have actually seen Buhari? Does he take vacations in a deserted Island all alone? If he is in a hospital like some are saying, is he so comatose that he cant do a simple video, or cant his aids snap a simple video and release?

biaframustcome:


Ask IB Times

OK...thanks...
I will do that first thing tomorrow morning..

ybalogs:
PMB is hale and hearty.He's going nowhere until he has cleared the mess he created. We believe in him and voted for him ,he's got nowhere to go until he has fulfilled his promosesbor disgraced out of office if he couldn't.
God bless Nigeria.
#IstandwithBuhari

Na wa For you o. Omo buhari go hear am for your hand oooo...

No.. He's in oza room..

Abeg make una leave papa alone abi who no dey sick sef.

STOP WISHING YOUR FELLOW BEING BAD LUCK!

After 3dayz time ... we will knw weda he extend his vacation

What a useless and shameless country. Nobody knows the where-about of a siting president. Worse still, nobody knows if he is still alive or dead! WHAT A USELESS BANANA REP OF A COUNTRY IS THIS??

Make una gv ursef uneccessary hypertension. 3days is just around the corner.

But still, I know Buhari is alive.

#iStandWithBuhari

Nigerians and their ever impatient attitude, the man went on vacation, besides since its vacation it means he went to rest and hide from the d many distractions and noise like the ones Nigerians re generating nw... Let's just wait for the vacation to end b4 we start thinking otherwise....

The dullardd walking dead president aka moving vegetable is nt dead... he only kicked a bucket

You know how much badluck APC happily lavished on Goodluck barely 2 years ago, don't you?

That's where people learnt all these stunts they're pulling today.

limanmohammed6:
STOP WISHING YOUR FELLOW BEING BAD LUCK!

proeast:
What a useless and shameless country. Nobody knows the where-about of a siting president. Worse still, nobody knows if he is still alive or dead! WHAT A USELESS BANANA REP OF A COUNTRY IS THIS??

where you guys not told he was going on a vacation in the U.K.?what other where-about do u need?You guys should stop playing politics with everything,are you expecting him to come out to say he is alive?hell no!!! Bloggers are free to spread false news,it is your job to identify and conderm false news....Is the recession really bitting so hard on nairaland?

I like this prayer someone use to pray here on nairaland
any person that want my president dead,na him President go die
Ijustdeywaka.com

How's this still up for discussion? What sort of Mods are on Nairaland sef?

YY'all should listen. Buhari is a muslim and if a muslim dies he must be buried that day. So there is no way in the world they will keep the corpse, except if you think there is a secret burial that happened.

falcon01:
YY'all should listen. Buhari is a muslim and if a muslim dies he must be buried that day. So there is no way in the world they will keep the corpse, except if you think there is a secret burial that happened.

yardua spent how many days 4 he was buried

Your president will soon be back to rule you as usual.

He is alive , he might be sick or something, that doesn't mean he is dead, baba is so much alive

Failbuhari 6th is the answer

Where are them prophets who claim to see everything. If they don't talk now let them not dare say anything after the truth is out.