The Nigerian Army officers who are currently in detention for allegedly planning a coup d’etat to overthrow President Bola Tinubu are attached to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), according to SaharaReporters
ONSA is led by Nuhu Ribadu, a lawyer and retired police officer serving as National Security Adviser to President Tinubu.
The staff in the office are usually drawn from the Nigerian intelligence, armed forces, law enforcement and paramilitary units.
While the Nigerian military in a statement few days ago claimed the detention of the officers was linked to “repeated failure in promotion examinations and perceived career stagnation”, top sources told the publication that they were actually arrested over a coup plot.
According to a senior official of the Defence Intelligence Agency, those arrested were planning to stage a coup and take over government from “selfish politicians”.
He added the coup attempt was thwarted after an intelligence gathering by the DIA and sister agencies.
“The 16 officers were planning a coup. The military authorities were just being diplomatic in the statement released by the spokesperson. They had started doing secret meetings on how to overthrow the President and other top government officials,” the source said.
“They’re all officers within the rank of Captain to Brigadier-General and are still in detention at DIA as we talk. They were picked recently at their various houses around the country. Their main objective was to overthrow Tinubu and announce a military government.”
“Yes, they were arrested for planning to stage a coup and take over government. That was the main reason why the Independence Day parade scheduled to hold on Wednesday, October 1 as part of activities marking the country’s 65th Independence Anniversary was cancelled,” another source had said.
Giving an update on Saturday evening, the senior intelligence official told the publication that the officers, mostly Northerners are attached to the NSA office.
He identified one of the alleged leaders of the plot as Lieutenant Colonel Al-Makura who just returned from a special combat course in China.
The accused officer is a nephew to Tanko Umaru Al-Makura, a former governor of Nasarawa State and current Board Chairman of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
“The ring leader of the coup is Lieutenant Colonel Al-Makura. Don’t be confused cause we have two Al-Makuras in the Army, two brothers and both are Lieutenant Colonel. One is the Commanding Officer of 343 Artillery Regiment in Elele, though he was detained briefly but he was released Friday night after investigation showed he wasn’t involved in the planned coup plot by his brother and others.
“The accused, Lieutenant Colonel Al-Makura just came back from a course in China and was posted to the NSA office few months ago. He is a no nonsense infantry officers and very popular in Maiduguri, Borno state. Both Al-Makuras are nephews of the former Nigerian governor.
“Seeing the full list of the accused officers, most of them are from Northern Nigeria, sadly the young ones among them were deceived to join the plan.”
He added, “None of them has access to their family members currently.”
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has described as misleading insinuations that the cancellation of activities marking Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary was linked to an alleged attempted military coup.
In a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, on Saturday in Abuja, the Armed Forces of Nigeria categorically stated that the claims made by a publication were entirely false, malicious, and intended to cause unnecessary tension and distrust among the populace.
The statement clarified that the decision to cancel the 65th Independence Anniversary parade was made to allow President Bola Tinubu to attend a strategic bilateral meeting outside the country, and to enable members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) to sustain momentum in the ongoing fight against terrorism, insurgency, and banditry.
The DHQ further reassured Nigerians that the ongoing investigation involving the sixteen officers is a routine internal process aimed at ensuring discipline and professionalism within the military ranks.
It added that an investigative panel has been duly constituted and that its findings will be made public upon conclusion.
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