The Presidency has dismissed former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai’s allegation that the Office of the National Security Adviser imported a deadly poison from Poland, describing his outburst as a diversionary tactic to distract from the ₦432 billion corruption probe he is facing in Kaduna State.
In a post published yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitooe Ajayi, the Presidency accused el-Rufa’i of playing games and playing to the gallery, insisting that he knew there was no government procurement or importation of Thallium sulphate into Nigeria from Poland through the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The reaction followed a letter el-Rufa’i released earlier yesterday addressed to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu RibaÉ—u, alleging that the ONSA procured approximately 10 kilograms of Thallium Sulphate, a substance he described as highly toxic and tightly controlled, from a supplier in Poland.
In the letter, titled: “Request for Clarification on the Procurement of Thallium Sulphate,” the former governor demanded clarification on the intended purpose of the substance, the identity of the supplier, the total quantity procured, storage and security arrangements, regulatory oversight, and any public health risk assessments conducted.
He warned that the substance is banned in many jurisdictions for civilian use due to its extreme toxicity and argued that public confidence in national institutions is strengthened when potential risks are openly addressed and managed.
The allegation came just days after el-Rufa’i accused RibaÉ—u of orchestrating an attempt to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday, claiming he had access to a tapped phone conversation where the NSA allegedly gave the order for his arrest.
But Ajayi stated that el-Rufa’i certainly received a reply to his letter from the NSA’s office and should be honourable enough to release it just as he mischievously released his own letter. The Presidential aide said the former governor has two clear intentions behind his recent actions and tantrums: to create political tension in the country and create an atmosphere of fear and unrest through deliberate misinformation, and to divert attention from his domestic problems in Kaduna State where he is facing massive corruption allegations.
According to the statement, el-Rufa’i wants to nationalise his personal problems with his home state government to draw attention to himself and project himself as a victim of persecution, knowing that Nigerians will not be on his side over corruption charges.
Ajayi noted that the former governor has lost almost everyone in the state he governed for eight years, including critical stakeholders and Governor Uba Sani, who was once his political soulmate and whom he had supported to become a Senator and later Governor after him. He also lost all 28 members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, who unanimously endorsed a petition to both the ICPC and the EFCC to probe him over ₦432 billion corruption allegations, for which both agencies have invited him.
Ajayi advised el-Rufa’i to stop behaving like a drowning man holding on to a straw to stay afloat, and instead brace up to face his corruption allegations and make peace with himself and his own people. He emphasised that the problem is not President Bola Tinubu or the National Security Adviser, but el-Rufa’i’s loss of political support in his home state.
El-Rufa’i is scheduled to honour an invitation by the EFCC on Monday over the corruption allegations. The Office of the National Security Adviser has not issued an official response to the allegations regarding the Thallium Sulphate importation as of the time of this report.
