The Presidency has officially debunked a viral video claiming that a chef attached to the Presidential Villa was arrested over an alleged plot to poison President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the circulating content as fake news, stressing that the story is entirely fabricated and intended to cause unnecessary public panic.
The controversial video, which gained significant traction across social media platforms over the weekend, alleged that security operatives had taken a member of the presidential kitchen staff into custody following intelligence reports of suspicious activities.
The report further suggested that a special police squad had been deployed to tighten security within the restricted areas of the State House while authorities examined evidence related to the supposed threat.
Onanuga urged the public to disregard the unsubstantiated claims and rely solely on official communication channels for verified information.
This development follows recent security concerns involving the arrest of some military personnel accused of plotting to topple the government.
It was gathered that the ongoing investigations into that alleged coup plot have extended to a staff member of Julius Berger, a world-class construction company, who is currently being questioned for his suspected involvement.
The staff member, reportedly from the South-South region and attached to the electrical department, was deployed to the State House in 2022.
A colleague of the arrested Julius Berger staff expressed shock at the development, noting that the individual was relatively new to the State House environment. While the Presidency remains firm in its dismissal of the poisoning allegation, the heightened security atmosphere in Abuja reflects a broader effort by national security agencies to investigate and neutralize credible threats to the country’s leadership and democratic stability.
