LAGOS — Nigeria’s former president Muhammadu Buhari — who once ruled as a military strongman before returning as a democratically elected leader — has died at age 82, his press secretary announced on Sunday.

Buhari died in London, where he had been undergoing medical treatment.

The news marks the end of an era for Africa’s most populous country, where Buhari held a unique place in political history, having led both as a coup-installed ruler and later as an elected president.

He first came to power in 1983 following a military coup, ruling with an iron grip until he was ousted by fellow officers less than two years later.

In 2015, after three failed attempts at the ballot box, he was elected president in a historic vote — the first time an opposition candidate won in Nigeria's democratic history.

He served two terms, stepping down in 2023.

President Bola Tinubu paid tribute to Buhari, calling him “a patriot, a soldier, a statesman ... to the very core.”

Tinubu ordered Vice President Kashim Shettima to travel to London to accompany Buhari’s body back home.

Public reactions to Buhari’s death were mixed. While some mourned his passing, others pointed to his controversial legacy, which many say left Nigeria more divided and economically strained.

During his presidency, Buhari promised to eradicate Boko Haram terrorism, crack down on corruption, and stabilize Nigeria’s economy. But his tenure was marred by worsening insecurity, economic mismanagement, and allegations of authoritarianism.

Although he claimed victory over Boko Haram in 2016, suicide bombings and mass abductions continued. Notably, dozens of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped in 2014 were freed under his watch, but many others remain missing.

His economic policies — including controversial currency controls — fueled inflation, foreign currency shortages, and a recession worsened by low oil prices and unrest in the oil-rich Niger Delta. His extended medical absences abroad, often shrouded in secrecy, drew criticism from citizens struggling with underfunded hospitals.

As a military ruler in the 1980s, Buhari was known for his “war against indiscipline,” a campaign that saw government workers punished with public squats, and drug dealers executed.

He expelled hundreds of thousands of immigrants and passed laws enabling detention without trial — actions that continue to cast a long shadow. — Agencies