Here's how Nigerians remember Buhari, who ruled both as a dictator and a democrat

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's former President Muhammadu Buhari, who ruled Africa's most populous nation twice as a military dictator and a democratic president, died on Sunday at age 82 and is being remembered as a divisive figure who oversaw one of the country's most troubled periods.

“He inherited unprecedented goodwill and squandered it," Olive Chiemerie, a Lagos-based writer, told The Associated Press. "His legacy is one of missed opportunities, deepening inequality and a country left to pick up the pieces.”

Here are some highlights of Buhari's presidency:

In October 2020, thousands of youths took to the streets to protest against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, or SARS, a police unit accused by rights groups and others of extrajudicial killings, torture and extortion.

Buhari initially responded by disbanding the unit. As the protests grew stronger with broader demands for better governance, however, his government deployed security forces to resist the demonstrations.

On Oct. 20, soldiers opened fire at peaceful protesters in the economic hub of Lagos, killing at least 12 people, according to rights groups. Buhari didn't acknowledge the shootings in a nationwide address that called protesters “rioters” and warned them against “undermining national security."

Months after the protests, many Nigerians took their anger online, mostly on Twitter, to rail against institutional corruption, economic woes and escalating insecurity.

The matter spiked after Twitter removed a tweet from Buhari’s account about a secessionist movement, calling it abusive. The Nigerian government responded by suspending access to the platform for seven months.

That further heightened concerns over human rights. As a military dictator in Nigeria in the 1980s, Buhari had brooked little criticism. As president, he detained political opponents and several journalists. Nigerian police operatives once stormed a courtroom to re-arrest activist Omoyele Sowore, drawing outrage from the judge and many Nigerians.

Buhari pursued economic policies that Nigerians said imposed huge strains on the economy, forcing it to dip into recession in 2016 and 2020.

In 2019, he closed the border to all goods with the goal of spurring local production, especially of agricultural products, which sparked surging inflation.

In the face of a dollar shortage as a result of a slump in oil production and falling oil prices globally, his government pegged the local currency to the dollar at an artificial rate, worsening the naira's value.

“Buhari left a legacy of debt that continues to sabotage the economic efforts of his successors,” said Akeem Alao, a teacher in Lagos.

Buhari's administration failed to rid Nigeria of its security woes — a key election promise and an ambitious one in a country long threatened by Boko Haram extremists and a breakaway faction. The years of violence have killed at least 35,000 people and displaced more than 2 million.

While Buhari was president, the extremists expanded beyond the northeast and partnered with other armed groups in the north to carry out attacks, including on a passenger train near the capital, Abuja, and a jailbreak there.

Buhari's government often declared that Boko Haram had been “technically defeated,” to the scorn of critics.

FILE - Women mourn for the death of a family member after a suicide bomb attack in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Thursday, Nov 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola, File)

FILE - Police officers detain a journalist during a protest in Lagos, Nigeria, Monday, Aug 5, 2019. (AP Photos/Sunday Alamba, File)

FILE- A protester is detained by police officers following a demonstration at Lekki Toll plaza in Lagos Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File)

FILE- People hold banners as they demonstrate on the street to protest against police brutality, in Lagos, Nigeria, Tuesday, Oct 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File)

FILE - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. (Adrian Dennis/Pool Photo via AP, File)

PHOENIX (AP) — The ex-husband of an Ohio woman was charged with the murders of her and her husband, according to court and county records.

Michael McKee, 39, was booked Saturday and is currently being held in Illinois, according to the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office. He is alleged to have shot and killed the couple, Dr. Spencer Tepe, a 37-year-old dentist, and Monique Tepe, 39, in their Columbus home. There were no county court records in Ohio reflecting whether McKee has an attorney yet.

Dispatchers first received calls of concern, including from Spencer Tepe’s boss, when he didn’t show up for work, which the boss said was “out of character.” Columbus police discovered the Tepes on the second floor of their home on Dec. 30 with gunshot wounds when officers conducted a wellness check. Their two young children were in the home and unharmed, police said.

Police had released security footage earlier this week of a person of interest in a dark hoodie and light colored pants who was walking in an alley near the couple's home between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. — the window of time in which investigators believed they were attacked.

Official reports from the Franklin County Coroner’s Office won't be completed for several weeks, but a spokesperson said in a Tuesday email that the couple died in an “apparent homicide by gunshot wounds.”

McKee and Monique Tepe married in 2015 and filed for divorce two years later, according to records from the Franklin County Clerk of Courts. McKee's address is listed in Chicago.

Monique and Spencer Tepe married in 2020, according to the couple's obituary.

Family members described the Tepes as extraordinary people and proud parents with joy-filled lives. Monique Tepe was a caring and bubbly stay-at-home mother, and Spencer Tepe was passionate about dentistry and taking care of his family. The couple hosted many gatherings of family and friends.

McKee's next court date is set for Monday.

Flowers and other items sit on the front porch of Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)

Flowers and other items sit on the front porch of Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)

This photo made from security footage shows a person of interest walking on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (Columbus Police Department via AP)

Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)