Former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has revealed that her late husband, former President Muhammadu Buhari, died from pneumonia and not cancer, as widely speculated.
Mrs Buhari made the disclosure while reflecting on the former president’s final days, according to his biography titled “From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari,” written by Charles Omole.
Buhari passed away in mid-2025 at a London clinic. His remains were later flown back to Nigeria, where he was buried in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State.
Recounting the period leading up to his death, Aisha Buhari described his last days as extremely challenging, noting that he spent time in intensive care before being transferred to a regular ward.
“The final days were difficult. ICU for some days, then the ward, then the slide. The last three days were the worst,” she was quoted as saying.
She attributed Buhari’s health challenges to years of physical strain dating back to his military career. According to her, prolonged exposure to harsh weather conditions during his service years may have contributed to his illness later in life.
The biography quoted her as explaining that Buhari spent months in the bush during military operations, often soaked by rain in uniforms that dried on his body, experiences she believes weakened his lungs over time.
“Decades later, the cold had lodged in his lungs and bones — exacerbated by office air-conditioning. Pneumonia was the last adversary,” the book stated.
The biography also noted that medical tests conducted on Buhari did not indicate cancer, stressing that pneumonia was confirmed as the cause of death.
“It was pneumonia,” the book quoted medical sources as saying, adding that at an advanced age, the illness could be fatal.
