Inside Muhammadu Buhari’s Family: Meet his wives, 10 children, and the legacy he left behind

Muhammadu Buhari was many issues to Nigerians: a soldier, a army ruler, a democratically elected president, and one of the crucial controversial figures in Nigeria’s political historical past.

He first got here to energy in 1983 by a army coup and returned over three a long time later as a civilian president in 2015, marking one of the crucial sudden political comebacks in Africa.

On July 13, 2025, news broke that Buhari had died. Nigerians reacted with shock, sympathy, and, if we’re being sincere, nonchalance. This wasn’t the primary time Buhari’s demise had been introduced. In truth, over the previous decade, his demise has been rumoured extra occasions than anybody might depend. At one level, conspiracy theorists even claimed the real Buhari had died in London and been changed by a physique double named “Jubril from Sudan.”

However this time, the headlines weren’t rumours or propaganda. The previous president had handed away.

Buhari dominated Nigeria for eight years as a civilian president, stepping down in 2023 after finishing two phrases. To his supporters, he was an emblem of integrity and order, their “Sai Baba”. To his critics, he was aloof, authoritarian, and out of contact with the on a regular basis struggles of Nigerians. His infamous quote being, “Nigerian youths are lazy.”

However behind the general public picture, the political disparity, the kaftan, and the noise, was a person with a household; wives, youngsters, and family members who witnessed the various shades of Buhari that the general public hardly ever noticed.

Because the nation displays on his passing, many Nigerians are revisiting his legacy as a frontrunner and turning their consideration to the household that survived him; the individuals who shared his residence, his identify, and his historical past. 

SEE MORE: Life and times of Muhammadu Buhari

Buhari’s first spouse, Safinatu Buhari

Lengthy earlier than Aisha Buhari turned First Girl, there was Safinatu Buhari, Buhari’s first spouse and the unique matriarch of his family.

Born in 1952 in Plateau State and raised in Kaduna, Safinatu was simply 18 years outdated when she married Muhammadu Buhari in 1971. She got here from a quiet, respectable northern household and was recognized for her magnificence and calm manner.

When Buhari turned Nigeria’s army Head of State in 1983, Safinatu quietly stepped into the position of First Girl. However she was in contrast to any First Girl Nigeria had seen. She was soft-spoken, principally absent from the general public eye, and barely photographed. She most well-liked to remain behind the scenes, specializing in elevating her youngsters and managing the house entrance.

Nonetheless, their marriage led to divorce in 1988, three years after Buhari was overthrown and imprisoned following a army coup. Studies recommend that the separation might have been influenced by ideological and private variations that widened throughout his detention.

Safinatu handed away in 2006 on the age of 54, after battling diabetes. 

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Safinatu Buhari’s Youngsters

Collectively, Buhari and Safinatu had 5 youngsters, though one handed away at a younger age. Right here’s what we find out about them:

1. Zulaihat (Zulai) Buhari

Zulaihat “Zulai” Buhari Junaid (born December 5, 1972 – died November 29, 2012) was the eldest daughter of Buhari and Safinatu. Recognized for her humility and quiet grace, she was deeply cherished by these near her. 

• Schooling: She started her education within the U.S. as a toddler, attended Air Power Army Faculty in Lagos, then Queens Faculty, Lagos; later finishing highschool at Federal Authorities Faculty, Kaduna. She earned a B.Sc. in Economics and a Postgraduate Diploma in Administration from Ahmadu Bello College, Zaria.

• Profession & group work: Zulai labored at African Intercontinental Financial institution and later for the Ministry of Stable Minerals & Metal in Kaduna. She based the Hajiya Safinatu Buhari Basis in reminiscence of her mom, offering help to these affected by diabetes.

• Private life: Married to retired Captain Mahmud Junaid, she was a loyal spouse and mom of three; two older youngsters and a new child on the time of her demise. Zulai additionally bravely lived with sickle-cell anaemia all through her life.

• Passing: She tragically died at age 40 from sickle-cell issues two days after giving start in a non-public Kaduna clinic. Her demise deeply impacted Buhari and led to widespread condolences, together with from then President Goodluck Jonathan and northern governors.

2. Fatima Buhari

Fatima Buhari, the second daughter of Safinatu and Buhari, has maintained a modest presence within the public eye, however her life is much from low-profile.

• Schooling & profession: She studied drugs at Ahmadu Bello College and later pursued postgraduate coaching overseas. Her skilled journey contains notable roles inside each the Nigerian and worldwide well being sectors.

• Public service: In 2021, she was appointed as a board member of the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Licensed Fraud Examiners of Nigeria (CIFCFEN).

Whereas not as seen as her half-siblings, Fatima’s profession suggests she’s quietly contributing to nationwide growth, which is impactful.

READ MORE: Buhari says he won’t leave any assets for his children to inherit

3. Hadiza Buhari

Nana Hadiza Buhari isn’t as media-visible as a few of her youthful half-siblings, however she has lived a well-rounded life. 

• Schooling: She attended First Essence Worldwide Faculty in Nigeria, continued at Cobham Corridor, Kent, UK, and graduated from the College of Buckingham. She accomplished postgraduate research in Worldwide Affairs & Strategic Research at Kaduna Polytechnic.

• Marriages & household: First married to Abdulrahman Mamman Kurfi, with whom she had six youngsters. The wedding later led to divorce. On July 8, 2022, she quietly married Attorney-General Abubakar Malami in a non-public nikah ceremony on the State Home mosque in Abuja. Their union attracted a modest public following, although the couple stored festivities minimal.

• Career: Hadiza is concerned in civic work; she holds a director place with the Africa Assist & Empowerment Initiative (AFRISEI).

4. Safinatu Buhari (Jnr.)

Safinatu Lami Buhari, the youngest daughter, has remained notably non-public whereas quietly constructing a lifetime of training and household.

• Delivery & background: Born on October 13, 1983, Safinatu is known as after her mom.

• Schooling: She began at Essence Worldwide Faculty, then attended Cobham Corridor in Kent, UK. She earned her first diploma from the College of Plymouth, and later superior her research at Arden College, additionally within the UK.

• Private life & household: In 2010, Safinatu married and have become a mom to 2 youngsters. She had a son named Isa and one other son, Ishmael. She’s maintained a particularly low public profile since, with little protection of her skilled or public engagements.

• Persona: Although non-public, her identify typically seems in gatherings of the prolonged Buhari household.

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5. Musa Buhari

Musa reportedly died at a younger age from sickle cell anaemia, and never a lot info is out there.

His second spouse, Aisha Buhari

After his divorce in 1988, Buhari married Aisha Halilu Buhari in 1989. Aisha, born in 1971 in Adamawa State, is every little thing Safinatu was not: outspoken, trendy, extremely educated, and daring. 

She studied public administration and sweetness remedy and have become an authorized magnificence therapist and entrepreneur. In 2014, she authored “Necessities of Magnificence Remedy” and later launched humanitarian applications underneath the Future Assured initiative.

When Buhari returned to energy in 2015, Aisha became First Lady and instantly made headlines for publicly criticising her husband’s government. One thing no different First Girl had ever carried out.

Aisha stirred debates round feminism, northern conservatism, and marital energy dynamics. Her outspokenness made her a divisive determine, admired by some, resented by others.

RELATED: Aisha Buhari has the guts to call her husband out

Aisha Buhari’s Youngsters

Many of Aisha’s children grew up in the public eye, attending elite colleges, making high-profile marriages, and infrequently courting controversy.

1. Zahra Buhari-Indimi

Zahra Muhammadu Buhari-Indimi stands out as probably the most seen and socially engaged of his youngsters, combining training, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy in her public life.

• Schooling: Zahra started her education in Nigeria, attending Kaduna Worldwide Faculty and the British Faculty of Lomé, later persevering with at Bellerby’s Faculty in Brighton. She graduated with a level in Medical Microbiology from the College of Surrey, UK.

• Humanitarian work: Because the founding father of ACE Charity Africa, she helps youngsters affected by sickle cell illness, offering scholarships, medical camps, and academic outreach. 

• Media and affect: Zahra launched the “#InConversationWithZahra“ sequence, a platform that explores household, relationships, and private growth. She balances her on-line presence together with her philanthropic work.

• Marriage & household: On December 16, 2016, Zahra married Ahmed Indimi, son of billionaire Mohammed Indimi, in a well-publicised Fatiha ceremony on the Nationwide Mosque in Abuja, attended by political elites. They’ve two youngsters.

• Public persona: Zahra is thought for her considerate strategy to social points. She has engaged in public advocacy campaigns, together with pro-sickle-cell initiatives and COVID-19 responses, and stood agency towards defamation, difficult media allegations about government-linked appointments.

2. Yusuf Buhari 

Yusuf Muhammadu Buhari is the one son of former President Buhari and First Girl Aisha. He turned an emblem of elite youth in Nigeria, each criticised and admired, for his public presence and high-profile life selections.

• Schooling: Yusuf studied within the UK, incomes his diploma from the College of Surrey in Guildford, following in his sister Zahra’s footsteps.

• Notable incident: In April 2017, Yusuf survived a severe crash on his power bike, which led to nationwide concern attributable to speculations and rumours about his well being.

• Marriage & public spectacle: Yusuf caught nationwide consideration once more in August 2021 when he married Zahra Nasir Bayero, daughter of the Emir of Bichi. The ceremony, dubbed “Nigeria’s superstar occasion of the 12 months”, was held on the Emir’s palace in Bichi, Kano State, and attracted royal status and political elite from throughout Africa.

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3. Halima Buhari-Sheriff

Halima Muhammadu Buhari-Sheriff, born October 8, 1990, is the eldest daughter of the previous President and First Girl Aisha Buhari. A lawyer by coaching and a grounded public determine, she combines an expert profession with a notable public presence.

• Schooling & authorized profession: She attended Worldwide Faculty, Kaduna, then British Faculty of Lomé, and Bellerby’s Faculty in Brighton, UK. Halima graduated with a regulation diploma from the College of Leicester, then earned her B.L. (Bar License) after attending Nigerian Regulation Faculty. She was officially called to Bar on July 14, 2016, in a ceremony attended by President Buhari, Aisha, and siblings Yusuf and Zahra. She now works as a lawyer and has served as a prosecutor and Deputy Director on the Borno State Ministry of Justice.

• Advocate: She’s concerned in authorized circles and ladies’s growth, honoured on the 2023 NAWOJ (Nigerian Affiliation of Ladies Journalists) awards, the place she and Zahra accepted the “Icon and Beacon of Hope for Empowerment” award on Aisha’s behalf.

• Household & private life: She’s married to Alhaji Babagana Muhammed Sheriff, a outstanding Borno businessman, in a well-publicised and groomed ceremony in 2012.

4. Amina (Noor) Buhari

Amina Buhari, was born on September 14, 2004. Whereas she hardly ever steps into the general public highlight, right here’s what’s recognized:

5. Aisha Buhari

Because the youngest little one, Aisha remains to be coming of age and has not but been energetic in public life.

Buhari, his household and legacy

The passing of the previous President of Nigeria, although liked by some and criticised by others, has left a mark that might be etched in historical past.

However away from the political theatre, away from the cruel lights of energy, was a person who was additionally a father, a husband, a grandfather.

He buried a son and a daughter. He watched his youngsters develop into attorneys, medical doctors, philanthropists, and oldsters of their very own. He guided them with the identical stern rules he dropped at nationwide management.

In his passing, Nigeria not solely loses a former president, however a patriarch whose household quietly mirrored the values, and contradictions of his public life. His household now carry the burden of his identify, his story, and the lengthy, difficult legacy of the person they known as “Baba”.

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