By Akinwale Kasali
After a lot of pressure, and silence deemed as no longer golden, the Presidency, finally, reacted on Sunday, to the unfortunate shooting incident in the Villa.
The shooting involved security aides of First Lady, Aisha Buhari, who, allegedly were in hot pursuit of a Personal aide of the President, Sabiu Tunde Yusuf.
Yusuf had, reportedly, come back from Lagos, and did not self-isolate, a situation which upset the First Lady. She was said to have asked that he be blocked from entering the Villa. Yusuf, however, entered the Villa, and the First Lady’s anger hit the roof.
She, then, allegedly, personally, went to ask Yusuf out. He refused, and there was an altercation. Later, the First Lady, allegedly, accompanied by three of her children and her security aides, went to Yusuf’s apartment to confront her for talking back to the First Lady.
Overwhelmed, he took to his heels, and the Security aides followed in hot pursuit, and, in a bid to arrest him, fired some shots.
A superior officer apparently arrested them, since such shots within the Villa are prohibited. They were detained.
A couple of days ago, the First Lady on her Twitter handle, asked the Inspector General of Police, IGP, to immediately release her Security aides.
Without mentioning there were fired shots, she alluded to COVID-19, saying, “it is real, and everybody should adhere to the protocols and guidelines.”
Three days after her public outcry, the IGP ignored her request to release her aides from detention. But everybody suspected the IGP must have been acting on orders from above.
On Sunday, it became obvious where it came from. In a statement, Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said the President has ordered a probe into the incident. He, also, said that the President insists that the law should take its course.
Said the statement: “Armed guards and other security personnel assigned to the State House, receive the necessary training, of especially, weapons handling, and where they come short, their relevant agencies have their rules and regulations to immediately address them.
“Having authorised the proper investigation to be carried out into this unfortunate incident by the Police, the President has acted in compliance with the rule of law.”
The statement assured that the President was neither in danger of the gunshots, not in danger of contracting COVID-19.
Analysts say the meaning is that the First Lady’s security aides would remain in detention until after investigation, and, she may not get any replacement. And that the relevant agencies, this time, Force Headquarters, is investigating its personnel.
Sources within the seat of power disclose that the President was very embarrassed by the incident, which the statement said was unfortunate.
Reacting to the incident, coincidentally, just before the reaction from the Presidency.
Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, the former Chairman of the Governing Council of the National Human Rights Commission, called for a thorough investigation into the alleged shooting at the Aso Rock presidential villa, Abuja.
He also said that Nigerians needed to be reassured that President Muhammadu Buhari is safe, and also expressed his disappointment that since the incident occurred, the Presidency has failed to come out to tell Nigerians what really happened.
He said this shows that the Presidency cared less about the Citizens, believing that the citizens don’t matter.
Odinkalu argued that once firearms were discharged within the Villa, it was no longer a family affair.
”There are rumours – neither affirmed nor denied by the Presidency – that there has been discharge of firearms in the Villa by or from uniformed personnel. If that is true, it is no longer a family affair.
“Any discharge of firearms in the Presidency is presumed to be either on the orders of the President or against him. If it is the latter, it could be treasonable. If it is the former, it could be defence of state. We need to be told which and reassured that the President is safe.”
He urged Nigerians to note the difference between any excitement in the family life of the occupants of the Villa on the one hand, and matters that impunge on affairs of the state on the other.
Also, a civil society group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) said it was time President Muhammadu Buhari took charge of his domestic issues in the Villa to check the constant disgraceful infighting and squabbles between his personal aides and his wife, Aisha Buhari.
The group, alongside other Human Rights Groups are calling for a thorough investigation of the incident in the presidential Villa.
The group viewed the incident as an “attempted coup plot”.
It said: “Whomsoever fired the shots should be investigated and sanctioned just like a coup plotter “.
HURIWA said the consistent quarrels by members of Buhari’s household had the capacity to damage the nation’s brand internationally, ‘making us a laughing stock. seemingly uncontrollable disagreements and supremacy battle or power tussle in the presidential mansion has the near- infinite capacity to paint Nigeria graphically in the global community as a Banana republic.
The incident, it said, reinforced the perception that Nigeria is being governed by a president that is not in charge of his domestic affairs.
It said: “Serious investors overseas will not take their hard earned cash in this Covid-19 era of economic recession to a country whose political leader has no control of what goes on within his own home.
“The domestic health of the political leadership of sovereign nation’s is a basic requirement and indeed the global determinant for knowing the stability of a given nation.”
