In a coup headed by General Ibrahim Babangida and other members of the ruling Supreme Military Council (SMC) in August 1985, Major General Buhari was removed from office.Fela Kuti’s brother Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, a physician who had spearheaded a strike against Buhari in protest of the latter’s deteriorating health care facilities, was among the many outspoken opponents of Buhari who Babangida included in his cabinet. After that, Buhari was held captive in Benin City until 1988.
Buhari was imprisoned in a modest, gated home in Benin for three years. With Babangida’s permission, family members could visit him, and he had access to a television with two stations. Following the passing of his mother in December 1988, he was freed and moved into his Daura home.
His family ran his farm while he was incarcerated. In 1988, he got a divorce from his first wife and wed Aisha Halilu. He rose to the position of founding chairman of the Katsina Foundation, which was established in Katsina State to promote social and economic development. In order to pursue development projects across the nation, General Sani Abacha’s regime established the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), which Buhari chaired. The PTF is financed by the price increases of petroleum products.