LAGOS, Nigeria — The official announcement of the death of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the age of 82 in a London hospital has reignited discussions about claims made in 2017 by former British Member of Parliament Eric Joyce. In posts on X dated May 19, 2017, Joyce asserted that Buhari, then Nigeria’s sitting president, had died in London, a claim that was widely dismissed at the time as Buhari continued his presidency until 2023. The recent confirmation of Buhari’s death has prompted renewed scrutiny of Joyce’s earlier statements, with a lot of Nigerians pointing to them as evidence of a long-standing cover-up.
On May 19, 2017, at 2:08 PM WAT, Joyce posted on X: “Very sad to learn hear of the death of President Buhari, whom I campaigned for. Thoughts with his wife @aishambuhari and family. #buhari”.
https://x.com/ericjoyce/status/865554767128403969
Later that day, at 8:02 PM WAT, he followed up with another post: “The president of one of the world’s largest and most sensitive countries died in London today. In our main news bulletins, not a word. #Buhari”.
https://x.com/ericjoyce/status/865643773631410178
These posts suggested that Joyce believed Buhari had passed away during one of his medical trips to the United Kingdom in 2017, a period when the former president was frequently absent from Nigeria for health reasons.
Buhari’s prolonged medical stays in London during 2017, including a 50-day absence from January to March, fueled speculation about his health. Official statements at the time provided little detail, urging Nigerians to pray for his recovery without disclosing the nature of his ailment. Joyce’s claims aligned with rumors circulating in Nigeria, notably amplified by Nnamdi Kanu, a detained Biafran separatist leader, who also alleged in 2017 that Buhari had died and been replaced by a lookalike. Expectedly, these claims were dismissed by the Nigerian government and Buhari’s aides, and a remarkably healthy, and markedly fresh and young looking Buhari returned to Nigeria in March 2017, continuing his presidency.
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The resurfacing of Joyce’s 2017 posts was spurred by X users reacting to Buhari’s confirmed death in 2025. On July 13, 2025, @Unclechike1 posted: “Buhari died since 2017. But cos a black man, an IGBO for that matter, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu exposed it, Nigerians dismissed it. Here is a British politician, Eric Joyce who corroborated Nnamdi Kanu’s exposé in his May 19, 2017 tweet. Nigerians were fooled and Tinubu is complicit”. Another user, @AimThaMachine_, referenced Joyce’s 2017 tweet, highlighting its renewed relevance: “‘Very sad to learn hear of the death of President Buhari, whom I campaigned for. Thoughts with his wife @aishambuhari and family. #buhari’ – Eric Joyce 19th May, 2017. 02:08PM”.
Buhari’s official death on July 13, 2025, was announced by his former spokesperson, Garba Shehu, who stated: “The family of the former president has announced the passing on of the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, this afternoon in a clinic in London”. Reports indicate Buhari had been receiving treatment for leukemia in a London medical facility, with his health deteriorating in recent months. President Bola Tinubu confirmed the death, noting it occurred at approximately 4:30 PM GMT and dispatching Vice President Kashim Shettima and Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila to accompany Buhari’s body back to Nigeria for burial in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State.
Joyce’s 2017 posts did not provide specific evidence to support his claim of Buhari’s death at the time, and no additional X posts from Joyce discussing Buhari’s death in 2017 or beyond were found in the available data. The Nigerian government and Buhari’s administration consistently refuted claims of his death in 2017, pointing to his public appearances and leadership until the end of his second term in 2023. Nonetheless, Joyce’s statements have fueled ongoing debates on X, with some users citing them as validation of conspiracy theories, while others view them as misinformation from the period.
The Katsina State government declared July 14, 2025, a public holiday to mourn Buhari, reflecting his significant impact as a military ruler from 1983 to 1985 and democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023. Tributes from figures like former President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Shettima, and international leaders such as South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and India’s Narendra Modi have highlighted Buhari’s legacy, while critics, including activist Omoyele Sowore and DJ Switch, have pointed to controversies during his tenure, including allegations of economic mismanagement and human rights abuses.
Joyce’s 2017 posts remain a point of contention, resurfacing as part of a broader conversation about transparency, leadership, and the former president’s health history. The lack of official confirmation of Joyce’s claims at the time and the absence of further elaboration from him leave the 2017 posts as a major question mark in this now seemingly continuing, rather than ending, story of Buhari.
In all of these, one question lingers: why did no one sue Eric Joyce for this supposed false claim?