The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has identified the young man who attempted to breach security protocol during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to Kaduna last Thursday as Umar Mohammed, a man said to be suffering from a psychiatric condition since birth.

 

President Tinubu was delivering a speech at Murtala Square, Kaduna, while commissioning projects executed by Governor Uba Sani’s administration when the incident occurred. Mohammed, wearing APC campaign attire and carrying party banners, suddenly dashed towards the president before being swiftly restrained by security personnel. However, President Tinubu was seen gesturing for calm, instructing his security detail to “leave him alone.”

 

In an official statement on Sunday, Kaduna Police Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, clarified the incident, stating that Mohammed, a native of Anguwan Muazu, Kaduna, has been diagnosed with a mental disorder and was not carrying any dangerous or suspicious items.

 

“He was screened and admitted into the stadium as an APC supporter. Our investigation revealed he acted out of emotional excitement and curiosity to meet the President and the Governor,” the police spokesperson said.

 

Hassan further explained that Mohammed was allowed into the venue after passing security screening and had positioned himself among party supporters before he “suddenly breached the protocol barge into the restricted perimeter fence.”

 

The incident, which quickly went viral on social media, drew mixed reactions, with some interpreting it as a lapse in presidential security, and others claiming it was politically motivated.

 

However, the Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, Rabiu Muhammad, dismissed such narratives, stating that the viral footage was “doctored” and misrepresented the actual sequence of events.

 

“The video was edited to distort the true nature of the incident for political gain,” Muhammad said. “We are warning mischief makers to desist from spreading falsehoods or politicizing national security matters. Anyone found culpable will be invited for questioning and prosecuted.”

 

Authorities reiterated that the breach posed no real threat to the president’s safety and urged the public to refrain from speculation.

 

“This was not an assassination attempt or politically orchestrated event,” Hassan emphasized. “Umar Mohammed’s condition and conduct have been clearly established. The case is under investigation, but at this time, it is being treated as a mental health-related incident, not a political plot.”

 

President Tinubu continued with his engagements in Kaduna without disruption following the incident.