Former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and human rights activist has urged Nigerian politicians to invest in the country’s healthcare infrastructure, saying those who die abroad are eventually returned home as cargo.
Reacting to the death of former president Muhammadu Buhari in a London hospital, Odinkalu said on Sunday that the incident should serve as a wake-up call to the political class.
He wrote on X: “Nigeria’s current rulers may need to be reminded: Those who die in foreign hospitals only get to return to the country as cargo.
“They don’t pass through @immigrationng. Rather we clear them through @CustomsNG as import. If you don’t want this, build a hospital that can work for you.”
Odinkalu also recalled the Zaria massacre of December 2015, during which soldiers killed hundreds of members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), including three sons of Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky.
“I remember today all the #Shiites liquidated in the #ZariaMassacre in Dec 2015 under the orders of the C-In-C, including 3 sons of Sheikh El-Zakzaky.
“Their remains were transported in at least 47 trucks and buried in #MassGraves in Mando, Kaduna,” he stated.
Buhari, aged 82, died on Sunday in a UK hospital after a prolonged illness.
President Bola Tinubu has directed that national flags be flown at half-mast for seven days in honour of the former president.
Bashir Ahmad, a former presidential aide, said the late president will be buried in his hometown, Daura, Katsina state.
