A former member of the House of Representatives and incumbent Federal Commissioner in the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Hon. Johnson Agbonayinma, has dismissed reports linking the death of former Inspector General of Police, Dr. Solomon Arase, to food poisoning, describing them as false, malicious, and misleading.
In a public notice on Thursday, Agbonayinma said there was no truth in the claims circulating on social media that the late former police boss reacted to a meal while on a recent trip to Morocco with his wife, family, and friends.
“The stories being circulated are completely unfounded. There was no food poisoning. The claim that he reacted to a meal is pure fabrication,” he stated.
He also faulted attempts to drag names and institutions into the rumours, including the mention of “Mrs. Igbe, CEO of Vesa Foods, wife of the Iyase of Benin, and a transgender granddaughter’s wedding,” stressing that the entire narration was a deliberate fabrication by enemies of progress.
Agbonayinma said the details of Dr. Arase’s passing remained the sole responsibility of the family to communicate at the appropriate time, noting that what the grieving family deserve was prayers and support rather than the spread of fake news.
“Dr. Solomon Arase was a patriot, a father, and a statesman who served Nigeria meritoriously. Let us honour him with dignity and respect. He died as a legend and a hero to be remembered,” he added.
The CCB Federal Commissioner warned that the false narratives were calculated to cause panic, confusion, and distress to his loved ones and the public, urging Nigerians to disregard them.
He appealed to the public to always verify information from credible and official sources before sharing, stressing that spreading unverified stories only dishonours the memory of the dead and deepens the grief of the bereaved.
