The Presidency on Sunday dismissed as false viral claims alleging that members of the kitchen staff at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, were detained over a supposed attempt to poison President Bola Tinubu.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, refuted the allegation via his verified X handle, where he shared the trending video and described its content as misleading.

The footage, which appeared to show scenes from the Presidential Villa, featured a narrator alleging that a chef working within the presidential complex had been arrested in connection with a poisoning plot.

“Today we examine reports surrounding the shocking arrest of a presidential chef over an alleged plot to poison President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, an incident that has prompted swift intervention by a special police squad and triggered heightened security measures within the presidential environment,” the narrator claimed.

The video further alleged that the arrest followed intelligence alerts suggesting suspicious activities linked to food preparation within restricted areas.

It added, “Authorities moved quickly after receiving credible reports that indicated a possible threat to the safety of the president, leading to a coordinated investigation involving specialised security personnel tasked with protecting national leadership.”

The narrator also claimed that the operation was conducted discreetly and that the suspect had been taken into custody for questioning while investigations were ongoing.

Reacting to the claims, Onanuga categorically denied the report.

“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 stated.