Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari will return home on Friday after nearly two months in Britain on medical leave, his office disclosed late on Thursday.
The 74-year-old has been in London since January 19, officially on vacation and to have what the presidency said was “routine medical check-ups”.
But aides have had to counter persistent rumours online that he was seriously ill or even dead, despite the publication of a series of photographs showing him meeting senior Nigerian politicians.
Buhari had previously travelled to the British capital in June last year to receive treatment for what was described as a persistent inner ear infection.
The nature of his latest treatment was not disclosed.
His planned return was announced in a statement Thursday. Earlier in the day the presidency tweeted two photographs of the former military ruler with the most senior cleric of the world Anglican congregation, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
Buhari, dressed in a brown Muslim robe and skullcap, looked painfully thin as he was seen shaking hands with Welby, a former oil executive who worked in Nigeria before he was ordained.
Welby’s office at Lambeth Palace told AFP it was a private meeting that lasted about 30 minutes, without elaborating.
It is understood Buhari will fly into Kaduna, 190 kilometres (120 miles) north of Abuja, as the capital’s airport is closed for at least six weeks for runway repairs.
