The Presidency has dismissed allegations by the former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai that the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) procured a highly toxic chemical from Poland, accusing him of stoking unrest to distract from his own corruption probe.
In a letter dated 30 January and posted on his X account on Sunday, El-Rufai demanded “clarification and reassurance” from NSA Nuhu Ribadu over reports of a plan to import 10kg of thallium sulphate, a substance he described as “highly toxic and tightly controlled”.
The former Kaduna State governor sought details on its purpose, supplier, storage, and health risk assessments, copying regulators such as the National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
“Public confidence in the integrity of national institutions is strengthened when potential risks are openly addressed,” El-Rufai wrote, framing his inquiry as a good-faith call for transparency amid opposition concerns over security procurements.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Temitope Ajayi, in a statement on his X handle, formerly Twitter fired back at El-Rufai insisting that there was “no government procurement or importation of thallium sulphate into Nigeria from Poland through the office of the National Security Adviser.”
He urged El-Rufai to release the NSA’s reply to his letter, which it said he had received.
Ajayi accused El-Rufai of “playing games” to “create political tension” and “divert attention from his domestic problems in Kaduna State, where he is facing massive corruption allegations”.
The presidential aide claimed El-Rufai had alienated stakeholders, including the State governor he once backed and all 28 State Assembly members who petitioned anti-graft agencies Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) and EFCC over alleged misuse of N432bn (£500m).
“Instead of behaving like a drowning man holding on to a straw, Mallam El-Rufai should brace up to face his corruption allegations,” Ajayi added.
El-Rufai, who returned from Egypt on Thursday, is due at the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) offices in Abuja on Monday at 10am, following a failed arrest attempt at Nnamdi Azikiwe airport.
His lawyer confirmed compliance, while El-Rufai said on X that he would also attend an ICPC invitation on 18 February.
The former governor in a live TV interview also alleged that NSA Ribadu ordered his detention, citing a “leaked conversation”.
NewsQuest reports that the NSA’s office has not publicly responded.
