…The presidency stated that “No Aso Rock kitchen staff arrested. No Aso Rock kitchen staff attempted to poison President Tinubu.
ABUJA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | The Presidency has refuted viral social media claims that kitchen staff at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa were arrested over an alleged attempt to poison Bola Tinubu.
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, addressed the report on his verified X account on Sunday, posting the video in question and firmly denying its content.
The clip allegedly depicts activities within the Presidential Villa, accompanied by a voiceover narrating a supposed incident involving the arrest of a presidential chef over a poisoning plot. It further claims that a special police squad intervened swiftly, prompting heightened security measures around the presidency.
According to the narration, security agencies acted on intelligence reports pointing to suspicious activities related to food preparation in restricted areas tied to presidential operations. It added that authorities launched a coordinated investigation involving specialised personnel responsible for safeguarding national leaders.
The video also asserts that the operation was conducted discreetly to prevent public panic while addressing potential threats, and that the suspect, said to be a member of the kitchen staff was taken in for questioning as investigators examined evidence linked to the alleged plot. It concluded by stating that security agencies urged calm, noting that investigations were ongoing and that allegations do not equate to guilt.
However, Onanuga dismissed the claims as unfounded and described the video as fake news.
“No Aso Rock kitchen staff arrested. No Aso Rock kitchen staff attempted to poison President Tinubu. Please ignore this fake news being disseminated by this video,” he wrote.
Authorities have yet to disclose details about the source of the misleading video or the motive behind its circulation.
