Buhari loses two family members in quick succession – Presidency

The Presidency on Saturday said President Muhammadu Buhari’s extended family was bereaved with the deaths of two members in quick succession.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, announced this in a statement made available to journalists.

“President Muhammadu Buhari’s extended family has been struck by the loss of two senior members who died within a few hours of one another,” the presidential spokesman said.

Shehu identified one of the deceased as Hajiya Halima Dauda.

He said the deceased who was buried in Daura on Saturday morning was the President’s niece and younger sister to his close associate and nephew, Mamman Daura.

“She died at about the age of 56, leaving behind 10 children, four of them male and six female including one of President Buhari’s Personal Assistants, Mohammed Sabi’u Tunde,” he added.

He said the burial was attended by a Federal Government delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President,  Abba Kyari.

Others on the team were the Minister of State, Aviation,  Hadi Sirika; two businessmen- Alhaji Isma’ila Isa and Sayyu Dantata; three Senior Special Assistants to the President -Sarki Abba, Ya’u Darazo and  Shehu; the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar, the Permanent Secretary, State House Jalal Arabi and the State Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Lawal Kazaure.

Shehu said the Buhari family had earlier on Friday buried Hajiya Ai’sha Alhaji Mamman on Friday.

He identified the second deceased as the wife of the President’s older brother, Alhaji Mamman.

Receiving condolences, Malam Mamman on behalf of the family and the Emir, Alhaji Umar Faruk for the people of Daura Emirate thanked God for the lives of the deceased and all the visitors for sharing the moment of grief with them.

Among those received by the family in Daura were the Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris; Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,  Ibrahim Magu; and a former Military Governor of Kaduna State, Brig.-Gen. Jafaru Isa (retd.).