Former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, has called on Nigerian leaders to reflect deeply on the harsh public reactions that followed the death of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, describing it as a powerful signal of a growing, unforgiving citizenry.
In a post shared via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, Sani said the wave of bitter and emotionally charged responses to Buhari’s passing indicates a shift in public sentiment—one that no longer conceals pain or discontent.
“The present and future crop of Nigerian leaders should take lessons from the wave of unrefined emotions of Nigerians in the last 48 hours. A new generation of retributive citizens has emerged—unrestrained in their anger, unfiltered in their bitterness, and unforgiving in their souls,” he wrote.
According to Sani, the criticism Buhari received, even in death, underscores the need for those in power to govern with fairness, empathy, and accountability.
Buhari’s death on Sunday in London after a prolonged illness has sparked widespread debate and mixed reactions, particularly online, with many Nigerians openly revisiting the pains of his administration.
One viral video featured a woman, believed to be from northern Nigeria, who expressed complete emotional detachment from the news of Buhari’s death. She recounted the hardship she endured during his tenure and stated emphatically that she could neither forgive nor mourn him.
“There was no kind of suffering I didn’t experience under Buhari,” she said. “His children prospered while we, the children of nobody, suffered. I can’t forgive him.”
The 2015 Zaria massacre, in which hundreds of Shiite Muslims were killed by the Nigerian military under Buhari’s government, also resurfaced in public discourse.
Nigerian journalist Saifullahi M. Kabir took to Facebook to mourn the victims and hold Buhari responsible for what he called the “mass killing of innocent Shiites.” He named several victims—young university students and religious leaders—whose bodies, he claimed, were never recovered or buried in accordance with Islamic customs.
Buhari’s legacy remains deeply polarizing, and his death appears to have reignited unresolved national trauma, particularly among those who felt marginalized or brutalized during his time in power.
