At least sixteen high-ranking military officers are currently in jail because they are suspected of plotting a coup to bring down President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government.
Arrests and Official Denial
According to SaharaReporters, the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and other security agencies worked together to pick up the officers, who ranged in rank from Captain to Brigadier General, from different parts of the country.
At first, the Defence Headquarters stated the arrests were part of a “routine military exercise” that dealt with “issues of indiscipline and breach of service regulations.” However, military insiders suggested the official explanation was only a cover-up to keep people from panicking.
“The 16 officers were going to take over the government.” A high-ranking DIA officer said, “The military authorities were just being diplomatic in the statement released by the spokesperson.”
“They had started meeting in secret to get rid of the president and set up a military government.”
Official Word
In an earlier statement, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, the Director of Defence Information, said that the officers were arrested after internal investigations for misbehavior and disobedience.
Gusau said, “Investigations have shown that their complaints were mostly about feeling stuck in their careers because they kept failing promotion exams, among other things.”
“Some of the arrested policemen were already in jail for other crimes and were either waiting for their trial or going through it. Their behavior was not in line with the standards of military duty.
Foiled Plot and Worries About Security
However, some who worked for the government said that the arrests were connected to an attempted coup that was stopped when intelligence agencies got hold of plans for meetings and communications.
A high-ranking source said that the conspirators wanted to carry out the coup during the Independence Day parade on October 1, with the goal of killing President Tinubu and other high-ranking officials who were there.
The source stated, “Yes, they were arrested for planning to stage a coup and take over the government.”
“That was why the parade for Independence Day, which was supposed to celebrate the country’s 65th anniversary, was suddenly called off. Intelligence showed that they planned to attack during the occasion.
The source further said that the National Security Adviser and the heads of the armed forces requested the presidency to call off the parade after reliable information proved that the conspirators had put armed personnel in place for the attack.
The Past
Nigeria has had a lot of military coups in its lengthy and troubled history. Since gaining independence in 1960, the country has had five successful coups and several failed ones, all of which have left lasting scars on its democratic development.
The current event has made people even more worried about the growing unrest in the military as the country’s economy and security problems get worse.
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