The Presidency has dismissed as false viral claims alleging that members of the kitchen staff at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, were arrested over a purported attempt to poison President Bola Tinubu.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, addressed the allegation on Sunday through his verified X account, where he shared the circulating video and categorically debunked its contents.
The footage, which appears to show scenes from the Presidential Villa, was accompanied by a narration alleging that a chef attached to presidential services had been arrested following intelligence reports of a suspected poisoning plot targeting the president.
According to the narrator, the alleged arrest followed security alerts pointing to suspicious activities connected to food preparation within restricted areas of the Villa. The video further claimed that a special police squad intervened swiftly to neutralise the perceived threat and that the suspect had been taken into custody for questioning.
The narration suggested that authorities conducted the operation discreetly to avoid public panic while safeguarding national leadership. It also stated that investigations were ongoing and urged the public not to presume guilt.
Reacting, Onanuga described the claims as entirely fabricated.
“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.
As of the time of this report, no security agency has confirmed any arrest linked to the Presidential Villa kitchen, and there is no official indication of any poisoning attempt.
The Presidency has urged members of the public to disregard the viral clip and avoid amplifying unverified information capable of causing unnecessary alarm.
