It happened so suddenly. Nigerians awoke to the news that President Buhari was away to the UK on a 10-day medical leave. Not many paid much attention. Then, he had to go back; this time for 49 days and tongues began to waggle about what could be wrong with Mr. President. Upon his return, it was a mixture of happenings; missed Executive Council meetings, inability to perform or attend earlier scheduled activities, and on, that further intensified interest in the medical condition of the president. Finally, he left and has been away for over 70 days. No one is certain of his date of return. Not many are aware of the nature of his medical problems.
Unconfirmed information, from usually reliable sources close to the scene, who crave anonymity in view of the very grave and sensitive nature of the events, has now exposed the notion that Mr. President was, indeed, poisoned.
On the day in question, the president had, after one of his usual visits to his nephew Mamman Daura who lives at the Villa, retired to his sleeping quarters and upon entry into the bedroom, he turned on the air conditioner and reclined on his bed. Seconds later, he began coughing and the coughing degenerated into vomiting, and the vomiting worsened to include blood. He got help and the medical corps at the Villa took over from the early interventionists.
The source revealed that had Buhari actually gone to sleep, he would have died in his sleep. What saved him and Nigeria was the fact that he was still awake when the poison activated itself. Mamman Daura, reportedly, was devastated, confused, and unbelieving when he was informed of the developments. Some of the toxic contents of the poison were reportedly found lodged in Buhari’s liver.
According to unconfirmed medical sources, our source revealed, the amount of poison the president inhaled was enough to kill him or to permanently incapacitate him. It is a miracle that he survived beyond all expectations; which, in itself, is a miracle of sorts. At 74, our source revealed, the gamut of the medical problems induced by the incident in the president now range from heart disease, liver problems, prostate cancer and kidney problems.
THE QUESTION THEN ARISES WHO TRIED TO POISON HIM? This is a matter that is being seriously and vigorously investigated by the authorities, it was revealed. But the list of potential culprits is long!
First on the list are workers in the Villa’s Maintenance Department, since it is the department that services the air conditioning unit that is involved. Some, if not all of the workers, are holdovers from previous regimes. So, they could have been easily compromised.
Second, the source revealed, that Aso Villa is a den of cabals; some friendly to the president, others deadly. Even among the friendly once, vicious fights are constant and frequent. There is a Mamman Daura cabal; an Aisha Buhari cabal; a northern cabal, and so on. The cabal of the power brokers and stakeholders surrounding the President is so divided and constantly displaying intense rivalry that is so dirty, embarrassing and unprecedented. Oftentimes, the President’s marriage had been threatened and the victim has always been the president.
The unfriendly cabals that may have been possibly involved in the attempt derive from a lot of sources.
Here is mentioned the religious cabal, especially, the followers of the Shiite spiritual leader Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, whose continued incarceration by security authorities has become a matter of national security, giving the fact of the sect’s international connection with Iran. As a matter of fact, our source revealed, that with western intelligence sources reportedly briefed the president about his having been poisoned, point to possible international connections in the episode.
Next are the politicians in their desperate attempt to succeed the President. They are in a hurry and many cannot wait for Buhari to complete his term not to talk of a second term. The poison episode could have been a result of their incessant scheming and machinations.
The president’s dogged fight against corruption cannot be overlooked. The cabal of the powerfully rich and corrupt is not resting on it oars. They are fighting back in numerous ways and angles, especially, in light of their contention that the efforts are being conducted selectively.
There, also, is the issue about the agitation for the creation of a Republic of Biafra. The fierce loyalty being displayed by the supporters of the agitation towards the leader Nnamdi Kanu may have caused some of these protesters to go over the precipice to the extent that they feel that Buhari is the major obstacle to be cleared for their dreams to become actualized. They, definitely, pose a threat to his life.
Another issue, according to our source generating serious concerns is the competence, commitment and experience of some of his closest functionaries. It is believed that some of these appointees may have provided avenues to harm him because of alleged negligence, inexperience, incompetence, ineptitude and unfamiliarity with Villa and general security protocol.
Our source also revealed that under Buhari, The Presidential Villa or Aso Rock is no secure refuge for the president as it is the most exposed, insecure and compromised facility since Nigeria’s Heads of State began living in the facility. Other than the tight security one encounters prior to entering the Villa, the security arrangements within the Villa are nothing to write home about.
Therefore, giving the facts that many visitors, official and unofficial, are admitted into the Villa daily, the confusion in security protocol for visitors, and especially, the unofficial visitors visiting friends, relatives, and acquaintances [including those of the president and First Lady], may have provided avenues for breaches of security.
Some of these unofficial visitors are people who have lived at the Villa in the service of previous administrations and understand the Villa’s terrain very well. Some of these will stop at nothing to compromise the president’s safety especially if they had been released from their duty posts or feel their former bosses, to whom they have allegiances, are being persecuted for any number of reasons.
It has, therefore, come to us as a surprise that someone with Mr. President’s experience and career will display this much naiveté about his security in the Villa. He should have been aware that many of his campaign pronouncements have made him a big threat to many unscrupulous, corrupt and thieving Nigerians. He never should underestimate what they will do to frustrate or destroy him. The threats are many and they will emerge and come from all directions.
If this information about an on-going investigation into a poisoning episode involving the president proves to be right, then the DSS, the Army and several others involved in Mr. President’s security detail in the Villa will need to explain so much to the country. HEADS MUST ROLL!.
