The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has declared that the recent admission by Garba Shehu, former Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, regarding the fabricated “rat invasion” story, serves as a vindication of its leader Nnamdi Kanu’s long-standing claims about Buhari’s health and identity.

Garba Shehu, in his newly launched book titled “According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience,” confessed that the widely reported story in 2017 about rats damaging furniture and air conditioning units in President Buhari’s office was entirely made up. The revelation, detailed in Chapter 10 of the book, which was launched on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, sparked immediate reactions across the Nigerian political landscape.

According to Shehu, the fictitious narrative was a deliberate strategy to divert public attention from pressing questions about President Buhari’s health and his fitness to govern. The former president had returned to Nigeria on August 19, 2017, after an extended medical leave in the United Kingdom, and the presidency had announced he would be working from home, citing renovation needs due to “damage by rodents.”

This period coincided with intense public speculation and the controversial claims made by IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu. Kanu had, at the time, propagated the widely circulated theory that Buhari had died in London and was replaced by a body double from Sudan, whom he dubbed “Jubril.” The secrecy surrounding Buhari’s health had fueled these allegations.

In a statement responding to Shehu’s confession, IPOB’s spokesperson, whose name was not explicitly stated in the provided information but is typically Emma Powerful, asserted that the former presidential aide’s revelation validates Kanu’s assertions. IPOB has consistently maintained that the Nigerian government engaged in a cover-up regarding Buhari’s true health status during his prolonged absence.

The revelation by Garba Shehu has re-ignited public discourse on transparency in governance, particularly concerning the health of public officials. While Shehu admitted that his decision to spread the false narrative was a deliberate choice to shift national conversation away from the president’s health, he also noted that then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Minister of Information Lai Mohammed had disagreed with his approach at the time, finding it “well off the mark.”

As Nnamdi Kanu remains in detention, awaiting trial on charges of terrorism, IPOB and his supporters are leveraging Shehu’s admission as further evidence to support their long-held narratives, deepening the political divides and mistrust in official government communications.