The Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory Police Command (FCT), Haruna Garba, has directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), to commence immediate investigation into the alleged poisoning of the Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John.

The FCT Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, made this known on Saturday.

“The CP has ordered the Mabushi Police Division that was investigating the matter to immediately transfer it to the SCID”, SP Adeh said.

DIPLOMATIC DIARY reports that Ade-John, 60, who was appointed as a minister by President Bola Tinubu in August, has been hospitalised in Abuja after being said to have suffered acute poisoning from an unknown origin, as her family members fear that time was running against their efforts to save her life.

It was learnt that the minister was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, shortly after she started manifesting symptoms of illness, according to family sources familiar with her ordeal.

She had spent five days at the facility as of Saturday morning, our correspondent gathered.

Officials at the FMC and the Ministry of Tourism, have not confirmed the development.