DAURA, Nigeria, July 14, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Funeral preparations were underway Monday in the hometown of former Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari, as his hometown of Daura readied to bury the one-time military leader and twice-elected democrat.

Children were turned away from schools as government institutions closed for a public holiday and period of mourning, while many private businesses stayed open, unable to afford shutting shop, an AFP reporter observed.

The rake-thin 82-year-old died in London on Sunday "following a prolonged illness", President Bola Tinubu said. Buhari had spent much of his presidency abroad seeking treatment for unspecified ailments.

Vice President Kashim Shettima arrived in London on Monday to accompany Buhari's body home, Nigerian media reported.

An aide to the governor of Katsina state, where Daura is located, said Buhari's body was scheduled to arrive Tuesday, with a burial scheduled the same day in accordance with Islamic custom.

Buhari governed Nigeria with a strong hand as a military ruler in the 1980s before reinventing himself as a self-described "converted democrat", serving two terms from 2015 to 2023. 

He was born under British colonial rule in Daura in 1942.

Katsina Governor Dikko Umaru Radda described him as "the embodiment of the common man's aspirations".

However, his time in office failed to turn around long-standing issues like graft, poverty and armed violence, and there were allegations of rights abuses by security forces, including the gunning down of protesters.

- 'Can't mourn on an empty stomach' -

As business continued in Daura on Monday, the increased presence of police officers and soldiers around Buhari's home and at intersections broke the usual serenity of the small town, which lies less than 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the border with Niger.

In the capital Abuja, the federal government declared Tuesday a holiday. Flags are being flown at half-mast for a week.

"Buhari was an upright man who did his best for Nigeria, but he was human and prone to shortcomings," said Nasiru Abdullahi, a 35-year-old tyre mechanic and Daura resident, his voice rising over the machines in his shop.

Residents pointed to Buhari's legacy in his government's establishment in Daura of a polytechnic school, a university and increased electricity access, while the founding of two military bases improved security.

"He did a lot for us," said 46-year-old butcher Aminu Lawan, who was cutting a slab of beef on a wooden table outside his shop while preparing roasted kebabs.

"Everyone is mourning, but businesses are open because people have to survive. You can't mourn on an empty stomach," the butcher said.

Aminu Sani Mai-Almajirai, a Muslim cleric who lives next to the cemetery where Buhari will be buried, said the former president's body would be washed and shrouded in white, as is tradition, with funeral prayers open to the public.

Buhari made history in 2015 as the first opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent leader at the ballot box, a moment that was seen as a rare opportunity for Nigeria to change course. 

But he has been accused of squandering both political opportunity and popular goodwill in his time at the helm.

He failed to halt corruption and jihadist violence, while economic woes further dogged the oil giant.