DEFENCE MINISTER SAYS COUP PLOTTERS TARGETED HIM FOR ASSASSINATION

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), has disclosed that he was marked for assassination by officers implicated in an alleged coup plot against the Federal Government.

General Musa made the revelation on Sunday night during an appearance on Channels Television’s One-on-One programme, where he said the plot to overthrow the government had been set in motion even before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office.

According to him, the coup plotters planned to kill him immediately after his arrest if their attempt to seize power had succeeded.“I was also a target, I am sure you know,” Musa, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), said during the programme. “I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot.”

The Defence Minister described the suspects as disgruntled and unserious elements who were fully aware of the consequences of their actions and should now face the law following their arrest and detention.

In October last year, the military announced the arrest of 16 officers over acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations. The arrests occurred before Musa retired from active military service and was later appointed Minister of Defence by President Tinubu.

Musa explained that most of those allegedly involved in the plot were junior officers of low ranks who lacked access to strategic military weapon depots, stressing that a coup could not succeed under such circumstances.

He further noted that staging a successful coup in modern-day Nigeria is extremely difficult, unlike in earlier years when military takeovers were more feasible.

Providing insight into the motivation behind the alleged plot, Musa said the dissident officers were individuals who failed promotion examinations and became aggrieved.

He added that promotion within the Armed Forces is highly competitive and dependent on passing mandatory assessments.

Meanwhile, authorities last week confirmed that investigations had identified several officers accused of plotting to overthrow the government—acts described as inconsistent with the ethics, values, and professional standards of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).

In a statement, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said officers found to have cases to answer would be formally arraigned before appropriate military judicial panels.“

Accordingly, those with cases to answer will be formally arraigned before an appropriate military judicial panel to face trial in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and other applicable service regulations,” Uba said.