Many Nigerians are yet to come to terms with the demise of the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari, who died in a London clinic last Sunday. There were unconfirmed reports that he died of Leukemia. Largely, the reason why many were in shock and yet to come to terms with the fact that the man whom many Nigerians loved or hated for various reasons was no more, was simply because nobody saw his death coming. Apart from his family and possibly close aides who must’ve known he was battling with some severe ailment, Nigerians generally thought Sai Baba was hale and hearty and was enjoying his ‘retirement’ in his country home in Duara, Katsina.
Expectedly, the late former President got the befitting state burial accompanied by a colourful military procession and full 21 gun salute. Immediately the news of his death was made public, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took charge of the situation. He immediately dispatched a team headed by the Vice President Kassim Shettima and his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, who took off to London to support the family and make necessary arrangements to bring the remains of the former President home for burial.
Interestingly, as the nation was coming to terms with the news of his passing, the social media was agog with the return of the old conspiracy theory that Buhari had died long ago in 2017 and it was the infamous Jubril of Sudan, who had been cloned as Buhari, that just died.
Back then in 2017, it was one of the most bizarre and persistent conspiracy theories in Nigeria’s modern political history which questioned Buhari’s identity itself — a rumour that once spread like wildfire across the country and even drew a response from the former President himself.
According to the now-infamous rumour, Buhari had died during a prolonged medical trip to London in 2017 and had been replaced by a body double, allegedly a Sudanese man named “Jibril,” which gave rise to the name “Jibril of Sudan”.
The conspiracy gained traction during one of Buhari’s longest absences from public view in 2017. In January of that year, Buhari left Nigeria for medical treatment in the United Kingdom, handing over power temporarily to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
He remained in London for over 100 days, fueling anxiety about his health and a possible power vacuum at home.
While his aides insisted he was alive and recuperating, the length of his stay and the government’s tight control over updates stirred suspicion.
The absence of photos, videos, or substantial updates created a vacuum, and conspiracy theories began to fill the void.
Some Nigerians speculated about his death, while others took it further: claiming he had died and had been replaced by a clone or lookalike.
By late 2017, a name had emerged, “Jibril from Sudan”, allegedly the man impersonating Buhari.
The theory postulated that a cabal in Aso Rock, desperate to retain control of the presidency, had smuggled in a double to replace the ailing or deceased president.
The story spread on WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, bolstered by dubious “evidence,” including supposed differences in Buhari’s handwriting, changes in his earlobe shape, and inconsistencies in his spoken Hausa. And the personality behind this conspiracy theory was none other than Nnamdi Kanu who is currently in detention over terrorism related crimes.
It was in a Twitter post by user @sam_ezeh on September 3, 2017, which showed Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), telling his followers that Buhari had died.
“The man you are looking at on the television is not Buhari… His name is Jubril, he’s from Sudan. After extensive surgery, they brought him back,” he said. Kanu has separately referred to the supposed lookalike as “Jubril Al-Sudani”. Others have called him “Jibrin”. Neither Kanu nor the others making the claim provided any credible evidence.
The rumour was fueled by the real-life death of a Nigerian diplomat in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum in May 2018. There were allegations that the diplomat was deliberately killed due to his involvement in the supposed cover-up about Buhari.
Prominent public figures, including former ministers and aides, repeated the rumour. Reno Omokri, a former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan, and Femi Fani-Kayode, a former minister under President Olusegun Obasanjo, both amplified the claims.
Eric Joyce who claims to be from Scotland and claimed to have campaigned for President Buhari, tweeted a condolence message to the President’s wife, Aisha Buhari, and further remarked that a new president would be confirmed in a day or two to replace the departed Buhari. “The Acting President, I guess. He’ll be confirmed in a day or two,” he wrote.
The claim gained so much traction that it prompted an official response from the President during a town hall event in Poland in December 2018. Standing before a crowd of Nigerians living abroad, Buhari addressed the rumour head-on:
“It’s the real me, I assure you. I will soon celebrate my 76th birthday and I will still go strong,” he said, brushing off the claims with a chuckle. “A lot of people hoped I died during my ill-health. Some even reached out to the Vice President.”
Also, at a documentary tagged, “Celebrating a patriot, a leader, an elder statesman,” in Abuja, answering questions about the rumour which was still spreading at the time, Buhari said: “Yes! People said I am somebody from Sudan. I didn’t bother with the name, Nigerians have a mischievous way of explaining themselves.”
Asked if he found it amusing, he replied: “No, it’s not funny! Because those who made those statements, they just want to be cheeky. They want to distract attention from the main issue.”
It was evident from his response that the late former President found the joke, if it was one, rather distasteful. He hated the idea that someone could actually wish him dead. And not only that, the person, Nnamdi Kanu in this case, was willing to go to any length to make people believe he was truly dead. Kanu vigoprously pushed this crazy theory of his so hard that millions of Bigerians, till date, still believe the ‘real’ had died long ago in 2017 and that it was his clone, Jubril, that just died.
President Muhammadu Buhari probaly never forgave Nnamdi Kanu for this till he died. And it must’ve been for this reason that he sent the nation’s best Interpol personnel after Kanu who ensured they got him arrested in Kenya and extradited back home to face charges for his crimes on June 27, 2021. He has been in incarceration since then.
Despite the repeated public denial from the President himself, it did little to stem the tide of misinformation. For many Nigerians, especially those disillusioned with the state of governance, the rumour was both a metaphor and a coping mechanism – a way to make sense of an increasingly dysfunctional system where transparency was scarce, and the leadership seemed distant and unaccountable.
Fueling these persistent rumours about Buhari’s death at the time was a genuine, yet largely unaddressed concern: his fragile health.
Throughout his presidency, Buhari’s tenure was marked by repeated medical trips to the United Kingdom, many of which were shrouded in secrecy and never fully explained. Between 2015 and 2021 alone, he spent over 200 days abroad receiving medical treatment.
The President’s first official medical trip came on February 5, 2016, just eight months after assuming office. He spent five days in London. Four months later, on June 6, 2016, he returned to the UK for another 10 days to treat an undisclosed ear infection, extending his stay by three more days before finally returning to Abuja on June 19.
Then came one of his most controversial absences. On January 19, 2017, Buhari informed the Senate, led by Bukola Saraki, that he would be embarking on a 10-day medical vacation in London and would hand over power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Though the leave was scheduled to begin on January 23, he departed the same day he sent the letter. He didn’t return until after 49 days away.
Just two months later, in May 2017, Buhari once again flew to London—this time for what would become his longest medical absence, lasting 104 days. Nigerians were not told the nature of his illness. Instead, they were simply urged to “pray for the President.” The lack of transparency sparked intense speculation, misinformation, and wild rumours including claims that Buhari had died and been replaced by a body double from Sudan.
Whatever treatment he received appeared to yield some relief, as he didn’t return to London for another medical check-up until May 2018, when he spent four days on what was described as a “medical review.”
From this point, things looked okay with the former President as far as his health was concerned. Many Nigerians agreed he looked healthier, hed considerable weight and appeared fresher and better. Till his very last day in office, Buhari looked refreshed and stronger, like a man who left no one in doubt he could live to celebrate his 90th birthday and beyond. But fate had its own script for Muhammadu Buhari already written. Death has suddenly taken him away now, one can only hope that Nigerians would respect the family and allown them mourn this incredible patriot and iconic leader in peace and put a lid on the name calling. Like any other human being, President Buhari must’ve had his own short comings, but one thing no one can take away from him is the fact that he was a was a man with a good heart, he would never go out of his way to deliberately hurt ther next person. He is gone now and the least Nigerians can do for him is to let him rest in peace.
WALE LAWAL (08037209290)
0 Comments