Abba Kyari, the former chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, whose death was announced on Saturday morning will be buried in Abuja today, PREMIUM TIMES reports.
Kyari, who hails from Borno State, was pronounced dead on Saturday from coronavirus complications.
He was tested positive for the virus on March 23 and subsequently moved from Abuja to a private medical facility in Lagos for treatment.
Following his announcement of his demise, the presidency has commenced burial plans in earnest in line with Islamic provisions.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt from presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu that Kyari’s remains will arrive in Abuja from Lagos on Saturday morning.
Shehu said the corpse of Kyari will be received by friends and cabinet colleagues at the airport in Abuja from where he will later be taken to a cemetery in the nation’s capital for burial.
The burial will not be made open in compliance with the existing social distancing directive aimed at curbing the spread of the deadly virus.
He was initially receiving treatment in Abuja before he was transferred to a private hospital in Lagos on March 29.
In a March 29 statement, Kyari said his health was improving and urged Nigerians to remain calm about his situation and keep a hygienic lifestyle to avoid contracting the virus.
But on Saturday morning, the presidency confirmed he had departed from complications inflicted by the virus.
Kyari has now became the first most senior Nigerian government official and politician to die from the virus, which was first reported in the country on February 27.
