Table of Contents
- Denial of Allegations
- Official Statement
- AI-Generated Video
- Baseless Claims
- Nuclear Reactor Timeline
The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria has dismissed the accusations that it was involved in the development of a nuclear weapon for Nigeria.
The university's response came through a statement from Malam Auwalu Umar, the Director of the Public Affairs Directorate, on Saturday in Zaria.
Umar characterized the video that contained these allegations as AI-generated, emphasizing that it was intended to mislead the public regarding Nigeria’s peaceful nuclear energy program.
He noted that the video inaccurately asserted that Nigerian scientists had secretly enriched weapons-grade uranium in Kaduna during the 1980s and that ABU researchers had procured centrifugal equipment from the AQ Khan network in Pakistan.
The spokesperson further clarified that the claims were unfounded, baseless, and lacking in evidence.
He also mentioned that most of the ABU scientists at the Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT) were still receiving training abroad during the 1980s and could not have been involved in uranium enrichment.
“Nigeria’s first nuclear reactor (NIRR-1) was established much later, in 1996, under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Technical Cooperation Programme and was commissioned in 2004,” he stated.
What were the allegations against Ahmadu Bello University?
The allegations claimed that the university was involved in developing nuclear weapons and secretly enriching uranium in the 1980s.
How did the university respond to these allegations?
The university denied the allegations, describing them as baseless and emphasizing that the claims were made in an AI-generated video intended to misinform the public.
When was Nigeria’s first nuclear reactor established?
Nigeria's first nuclear reactor (NIRR-1) was established in 1996 and was commissioned in 2004.
