Former First Lady Aisha Buhari has revealed that the late President Muhammadu Buhari once believed rumours within the Presidential Villa that she intended to kill him, leading to a period of fear and mistrust in their household.
Aisha Buhari made the disclosure in the former president’s biography, From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, authored by Dr. Charles Omole and launched on Monday at the State House, Abuja.
According to her account, the rumours deeply affected Buhari, causing him to change his behaviour and even lock his room.
“My husband believed them for a week or so,” she said, adding that he “began locking his room, changed small habits, and crucially, meals were delayed or missed; the supplements were stopped.”
She clarified that Buhari’s eventual health crisis was not the result of poisoning or any mysterious illness, but rather the mismanagement of his medications and nutritional supplements.
Mrs Buhari disclosed that she had personally supervised her husband’s meals and supplements over the years, ensuring they were taken at specific times to support his health.
“The regimen helped a slender man with a long history of malnutrition symptoms maintain strength,” she said.
“Elderly bodies require gentle, consistent support. He doesn’t have a chronic illness. Keep him on schedule.”
She further revealed that due to the disruption caused by the rumours, Buhari went for an extended period without proper meals.
“For a year, he did not have lunch. They mismanaged his meals,” she stated.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari died in July 2025 at a London clinic. His remains were later flown to Nigeria, where he was buried in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State.