Muhammadu Buhari returns home from London medical leave

President recently extended his medical leave, deepening suspicions that his health was far worse than officials admit.

Buhari was elected to power in 2015 on a campaign that vowed to root out corruption [Reuters] Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari said on Friday he will continue to rest and undergo further medical tests in Britain within weeks, after returning home from two months of medical leave.

 Buhari walked unaided from his plane after it landed at an air force base in the northern city of Kaduna. The former military ruler then boarded a waiting helicopter, state television showed.

 The 74-year-old, who took power in May 2015, left Abuja on January 19 for treatment in Britain. He had originally planned to stay 10 days but stayed longer to rest after consulting his doctors, deepening suspicions that his health was far worse than officials are publicly admitting.

 "I deliberately came back towards the weekend, so that the Vice President (Yemi Osinbajo) will continue and I will continue to rest," he said in Abuja. "All I will need is to do further follow ups within some weeks."

some reporters, reporting from Kaduna, said Buhari's return was announced last-minute after he remained out of sight for weeks.

 "He has finally returned to the African soil," she said, adding that even though Nigerians are usually very sympathetic towards sick leave, there were concerns about how the country can run efficiently when the commander-in-chief is absent.

 The statement on Thursday from special adviser Femi Adesina said Buhari's "holiday" had been extended on doctors' recommendations for further testing and rest. It gave no details about the health of the president.

 "President Buhari expresses appreciation to teeming Nigerians from across the country, and beyond, who had prayed fervently for him, and also sent their good wishes,"

 the statement said, giving no medical details. Earlier on Thursday, the presidency had published pictures of a smiling Buhari meeting the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in Abuja House, part of the Nigerian High Commission in London.