Lt Conel Al Makura led foiled coup - source; ... It's not true - Def. Hqtrs

A source in the Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA, has revealed that 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), SaharaReporters has gathered.

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”.

“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.

“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."

But the Defence Headquarters dismissed reports alleging that some senior military officers were detained over a planned coup to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.

Reacting to an inquiry on Saturday, October 18, the Director of Defence Information, Tukur Gusau, a Brigadier General, described the claim as false.

He said the statement issued by the Armed Forces over the arrest of some officers weeks ago never mentioned that the officers were being investigated for a coup plot.

“We issued a press release on this weeks ago and we never mentioned officers were arrested for a coup,” Gusau told The ICIR.

In its earlier statement on October 4, the Defence Headquarters explained that the officers were arrested during a routine military exercise for “indiscipline and breach of service regulations,” not for political reasons.

The statement, signed by Gusau, said investigations revealed that the officers’ grievances were linked to “perceived career stagnation” and repeated failure in promotion examinations. It added that some of the apprehended personnel were already facing disciplinary actions for various offences.

“Their conduct was deemed incompatible with the standards of military service. Upon completion of investigations, indicted officers will face the full military disciplinary process,” the statement read.

The military also stressed that the action was purely disciplinary and part of ongoing efforts to preserve order and professionalism within the ranks.