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Most of the dead were civilians, but they included police and soldiers, he said.
President Buhari announced the death toll during an emergency meeting with former Nigerian leaders to resolve the unrest, his spokesman told the BBC.
Protests have subsided after widespread violence, but awkward silence prevails in several cities across the country.
The group, which played a key role in organizing the protests, has asked people to stay home now. The feminist coalition has also advised people to respect any kind of curfew imposed in their states.
The curfew imposed in Lagos state was relaxed on Saturday, authorities said.
Young people have been protesting since October 8, demanding the disbandment of the infamous Special Anti-Rubber Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigerian police. As the protests mounted, President Buhari disbanded the police unit on October 11.
But the protesters continued to demand more changes in the security forces, as well as reforms in the way the country is run.
Security forces opened fire on protesters in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, on Tuesday night. At least 12 people were killed in the shooting, according to the international human rights group Amnesty International. However, the Nigerian military has denied any involvement.
The unrest spread to other parts of the country, including Lagos, after Tuesday’s shooting. Many buildings were burned down, shops were looted and prisons were attacked. Then the protest stopped.
Only police checkpoints and barricades were seen in the empty streets of Lagos on Friday, an international news agency reported.
Amid widespread protests, state authorities imposed a 24-hour indefinite curfew in Lagos. But the Lagos state government said the curfew would be lifted from 6 am to 6 pm local time on Saturday.
At the virtual meeting on Friday, President Buhari, 8, said his administration was committed to complying with the protesters’ demands. But he also warned that his government would not allow criminals to take up arms and carry out “vandalism.”
Up to 51 civilians, 11 police officers and seven soldiers were killed in the riots, a spokesman said at the meeting.
The BBC reported that it was not immediately clear if any of the men were allegedly killed in Lagos by security forces on Tuesday.
In a short televised speech before the meeting, the president called on the government to suspend the protests and “seek a solution.” However, he was criticized for not mentioning the Lagos shooting in his speech.
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