Human rights lawyer and former Chairman of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has issued a stinging rebuke to Nigerian politicians who seek medical treatment abroad while leaving the country’s healthcare system in shambles.
Odinkalu’s remarks followed the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on Sunday in a London hospital after a prolonged illness.
In a strongly worded post shared on Sunday, July 13, the vocal rights advocate warned Nigeria’s political elite that neglecting the country’s healthcare infrastructure comes at a grave personal cost.
“Nigeria’s current rulers may need to be reminded: Those who die in foreign hospitals only get to return to the country as cargo,” Odinkalu stated.
“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.”
The comment, laced with irony and criticism, underscores the growing frustration among Nigerians over the government’s continued reliance on foreign healthcare services while local hospitals remain underfunded and poorly equipped.
Odinkalu also used the occasion to revisit one of the darkest chapters of Buhari’s presidency—the December 2015 Zaria massacre.
He recalled the killing of hundreds of Shiite Muslims and the secret burial of their remains in mass graves.
“I remember today all the #Shiites liquidated in the #ZariaMassacre in Dec 2015 under the orders of the C-In-C, including three sons of Sheikh El-Zakzaky,” he wrote.
“Their remains were transported in at least 47 trucks and buried in mass graves in Mando, Kaduna.”
The Zaria massacre, carried out by the Nigerian Army against members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), remains one of the most controversial incidents of Buhari’s administration, with human rights groups still calling for justice.
Buhari, who ruled Nigeria from 2015 to 2023, spent significant time abroad for medical reasons during his presidency, drawing criticism for failing to improve the country’s healthcare sector despite repeated promises.
His death, confirmed on Sunday night in the United Kingdom, has reignited public debate over the state of Nigeria’s healthcare system and the culture of medical tourism among the nation’s leaders.
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