Former President Muhammadu Buhari, accompanied by his influential nephew Mamman Daura and his private secretary, another nephew named Sabiu “Tunde” Yusuf, have departed Nigeria for London, United Kingdom. Reliable sources indicate that the three individuals, who held significant positions of power during Buhari’s tenure in the Aso Rock Villa, left the country via a private jet provided by billionaire businessman Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
Their decision to leave Nigeria is reportedly linked to mounting pressure from the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria’s secret police, to apprehend Sabiu, who has been implicated in various corrupt activities over the past eight years. Notably, the DSS already has in its custody the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa.
Insiders reveal that former President Buhari, Mamman Daura, and Private Secretary Tunde Sabiu are currently in London, with Buhari and Daura seeking medical treatment at a hospital. Additionally, Buhari’s State Chief of Protocol (SCOP) and longtime aide, Sarki Abba, have also accompanied them to London.
Earlier reports from SaharaReporters on April 30 unveiled Tunde Yusuf’s plans to retire with substantial retirement benefits, allegedly amounting to billions of dollars, which he acquired through illicit means. To safeguard his ill-gotten gains, Yusuf purportedly obtained diplomatic immunity from prosecution by securing an irregular appointment with the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and has been transferred to the United Kingdom for his first foreign posting.
Yusuf, often referred to as “Tunde,” is regarded as one of Nigeria’s wealthiest young men today. Prior to his appointment by former President Buhari, he was said to rely on the proceeds from selling call cards in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State. The moniker “Tunde” was given to him due to his resemblance to the late Tunde Idiagbon, who served as Buhari’s second in command during his military regime in the early 1980s. Idiagbon was widely seen as the de facto leader, despite Buhari holding the position of head of state, due to his significant influence and strategic role.
Yusuf is the son of Hajia Halima, Mamman Daura’s immediate younger sister, who passed away in 2018. Sources from the Presidency had previously revealed that Yusuf, through collaboration with Alhaji Auwalu Abdullahi Rano, a Kano-born oil billionaire, invested $100 million to establish Rano Air, a licensed airline based in Abuja. Furthermore, Yusuf is said to own several mansions in the capital city and has had numerous bank accounts holding billions of naira in Nigeria.
Despite claims of a crackdown on corruption and embezzlement by government officials, investigations by SaharaReporters have exposed instances of corruption involving Yusuf, Abba Sarki (Senior Special Assistant to the President), and Ministry of Power officials. These individuals were implicated in pushing for the purchase of a building for the Transmission Company of Nigeria at an exorbitant price, with the intention of diverting funds for personal gain.
In May, SaharaReporters also reported on an alleged collusion between Isa Ali Pantami, the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, and Sabiu “Tunde” Yusuf. The collusion involved granting broadcast frequency licenses in the 600MHz spectrum band by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) during the final days of the Buhari administration. Insider sources confirmed this information and added that Pantami and Yusuf were attempting to redirect sales earnings to private bank accounts, in yet another fraudulent scheme to misappropriate public assets before the new government assumed office.