Pigeons at the venue of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day refused to fly when President Muhammadu Buhari released them today.
To celebrate fallen heroes, the president traditionally lays wreath and does this with service chiefs and other dignitaries. After that, he proceeds to perform the next assignment of releasing pigeons to symbolize peace in the country.
Having been in power since 2015, Mr Buhari has performed the rites severally but on most occasions the birds refused flying. The scenario repeated itself today when he opened the cage and brought out one of them but the dove he apparently persuaded to fly refused going away and returned perching on the cage.
A live coverage by Channels Television showed other birds in the cage being struck to fly but they remained in their position with none refusing to fly away. Commenting on the scenario, presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, revealed the reason why the birds refused flying away.
Mr Ahmad said the birds were in love with his principal hence their decision not to leave. He said they birds will be returning to the presidential villa with the president.
“They love him so much, they don’t want to leave him, he has taken them back to Villa,” he said in a tweet Friday afternoon but deleted it hours after TODAY POLITICS’ publication.
This has sparked a debate on social media with some Nigerians amusingly saying insecurity bedeviling the nation forced the birds not to fly having realised that no where is safe.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with the screenshot of the presidency’s reaction which has now been deleted.
