Presidency Confirms ‘Robbery Attempt’ At Presidential Villa

 

 

 

By Ayo Kehinde

 

 

The Presidency on Monday confirmed what it called “foolish attempt”, to burgle the residence of Professor Ibrahim Gambari, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari at 3:00 am on Monday morning.

In an tweet on Monday evening, Presidential spokesperson, Malam Garba Shehu said the attempt was an impossible mission and there is nothing to worry about. Below is the tweet:

Garba Shehu

@GarShehu.

The Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari has confirmed that there “was a foolish attempt” to burgle his residence at 3:00am this morning but it turned out to be unsuccessful.
 Professor Gambari, whose house is on a street next to the Villa has assured that there is nothing to worry about from the incident.

 

Shehu’s tweet is obviously a reaction to a report by an online publication, Peoples Gazette, which broke the story on Monday.

According to the publication, “Armed men suspected to be robbers invaded the residences of two senior aides to President Muhammadu Buhari inside the precinct of the Presidential Villa, administration officials and security sources have told Peoples Gazette.

“This has raised more fears that the rising insecurity across the country was drawing closer to the elite than previously estimated.

“The incident on May 9 (yesterday) prompted Ibrahim Gambari and Abubakar Maikano, the chief of staff and admin officer, respectively, to abandon their residences, sources said.

“Their houses were robbed and the robbers packed money and other valuable assets from both houses,” an aide to the informed about the robbery told The Gazette.

*It was not immediately clear whether or not valuable documents of state interest were carted away by the intruders, but The Gazette heard that the residences were thoroughly ransacked.*

“The robbers took away as much as possible from both places,” a security officer that confirmed the incident said. “What is more unfortunate is that no one has been arrested.”

“Officials also said Mr Gambari was given an official residence at the Defence House, but has not been living there, preferring instead to live inside the presidential Villa and be close to the president,”