Aisha Buhari gets her security detail restored after investigative panel absolves them of any wrongdoing

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari's wife Aisha has had her security detail returned to her with the controversial aide-de-camp Usman Shugaba restored to his position following a recent altercation with other State House officials.

Earlier this month, Mr Shugaba, attempted to force President Muhammadu Buhari’s special assistant, Sabiu Yusuf, into self -isolation over Covid-19 fears. Trouble started when Sabiu, President Buhari’s nephew, returned to his residence in the presidential villa after a trip to Lagos where he had gone to meet his wife who had just delivered a new baby.

Hadjia Aisha Buhari and three of her children, Zahra, Halima and Yusuf, accompanied by some of her security aides led went to his residence to demand that he should self-isolate for 14 days, so as not to endanger the first family. However, the encounter was said to have degenerated into a heated argument as Sabiu insisted he was not the only aide to travel to Lagos saying that the new chief of staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, is in Lagos every weekend.

Sabiu questioned why the double standard requiring his self isolation for visiting his own wife who just delivered a new baby. However, Hadjia Buhari refused to accept his explanation, leading Sabiu to flee after gunshots were fired by the first lady’s aide-de-camp, forcing him to escape to the nearby residence of President Buhari’s cousin, Mamman Daura, where he spent the night.

Upon receiving a report about the incident, inspector-general of police Mohammed Adamu, ordered the arrest of the aide-de-camp to the first lady and all the security aides that accompanied her to Sabiu’s residence. He pointed out that the firing of gunshots, no matter the provocation was a major security breach.

After a lot of horse trading, accusations and counter-accusations, however, it appears that the matter has now been resolved and Mr Shugaba has been allowed to return to his duty post. He was absolved of any complicity by an investigative panel which was drawn from the National Security Council and Hadjia Buhari's other security aides have all been returned to the presidential villa.

One State House spokesman said: “The first lady has got all her staff back because the investigative panel discovered the ADC did not fire a shot in the villa. It was discovered that the ADC was not even at the scene of the incident and he was not armed on the said day.

“What really happened was that a presidential aide travelled to Lagos in a private jet and when he returned, the first lady asked him to isolate for 14 days. The whole intent of the first lady was to protect President Muhammadu Buhari and his household from Covid-19 infection, so it was not really a personal matter per se."

President Buhari's spokesman Mallam Garba Shehu, added: “The presidency wishes to acknowledge concerns expressed by several members of the public regarding the recent incident among the occupants of the state house which led to the arrest of some staff by the police. This is to assure all and everyone that the president is not and was not at any time in any form of danger arising, either from deadly infections or the reported incident by security personnel."