Nothing seem to be amiss when Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, began tweeting on her tweeter handle about COVID-19, the deadly global pandemic disrupting lives and livelihoods in many parts of the world, including Nigeria.
Many of the followers of the First Lady on social media may have simply believe that Aisha, whose pet project is on health issues was just trying to draw attention of Nigerians to the need to take all precautions necessary to avoid being infected by the virus.
But not a few eyebrows were raised when at the end of the series of tweets, Aisha called on the Police to release her aides.
One of initial tweets was, “That Covid-19 is real and still very much around in our nation is not in doubt. Consequently, I call on all relevant government agencies to enforce the Quarantine Act signed by Mr. President and ensure no one is found violating this law and the NCDC guidelines especially on interstate travel without the necessary exemptions for movement of essentials.
Then, she concluded, “…Finally, I call on the IGP to release my assigned Staff who are still in the custody of the Police in order to avoid putting their lives in danger or exposure to Covid-19 while in their custody.”
Not a few Nigerians who saw the tweet were taken aback as there was no report that any of the aide of the First Lady was arrested before the open request to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) by Aisha on social media.
But PR-Nigeria reports that some security aides of the First Lady were said to have been taken away by unidentified security operatives.
According to the website, though the reason for the arrest was still shrouded in secrecy, a dependable source in the Villa said that those whisked away include key security details of the President’s wife.
The website further quoted the reliable source as disclosing that the tension rocking the ‘Seat of Power’, which led to the sudden arrest of the First Lady’s aides is not unconnected to the ‘power-play game’ between an aide to Mr. President and his wife, Aisha.
However, Saharareporter said Aisha’s current power tussle is with a top aide to the President, Yusuf Sabiu aka Tunde, who recently returned from a trip, but refused to self-isolate in accordance to the protocol of NCDC.
Sabiu was said to have forced his way to the Presidential Villa, but Mrs. Buhari order his aides to force his out.
In return, Sabiu, was said to have engineered the Chief Security Officer to the President to arrest her aides, including her ADC, Usman Shugaba.
There is no doubt that the Police will sooner or later, release the aides of the First Lady.
But what is clear is that the First Lady a new flank of battle may have opened for Tunde Sabiu in the presidential villa, soon after the death of Abba Kyari, her husband’s late Chief of Staff.
Ironically, the First Lady had barred Sabiu and other aides of the President from returning to the presidential villa for 14 days after attending the burial of Kyari some weeks ago.
