The Presidency has dismissed social media claims alleging that members of the kitchen staff at the Presidential Villa in Abuja were arrested over a purported attempt to poison President Bola Tinubu.
The rebuttal was issued on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who described the circulating report as false.
The allegation emerged from a viral video which appeared to show scenes from the Presidential Villa and included a narrated account claiming that a chef had been detained in connection with an alleged poisoning plot.
In the footage, the narrator stated, “Today we examine reports surrounding the shocking arrest of a presidential chef over an alleged plot to poison President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
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The video further claimed that the incident had prompted swift intervention by a special police squad and led to heightened security measures within the presidential environment.
It added, “According to preliminary information from security sources, the arrest followed intelligence alerts suggesting suspicious activities connected to food preparation procedures within restricted areas linked to presidential operations.”
The narrator also alleged that authorities had moved quickly after receiving reports of a possible threat to the President’s safety, resulting in a coordinated investigation by specialised security personnel.
Reacting to the claims, Onanuga took to his verified X handle to refute the report and urged members of the public to disregard it.
He stated, “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.”
The Presidency maintained that the claims contained in the video were entirely unfounded and misleading.
As of the time of filing this report, no official statement had indicated that any staff member of the Presidential Villa had been detained in connection with the allegation.
President Bola Tinubu has not publicly commented on the matter, while authorities have yet to disclose the source of the video or the motive behind its circulation.
