Nigeria’s military has announced that it will prosecute a number of officers over an alleged attempt to remove President Bola Tinubu from office last year, publicly acknowledging a plot that authorities had earlier dismissed.
In October, the military disclosed that 16 officers had been detained for what it described as “acts of indiscipline.”
However, despite official denials at the time, sources within the government and armed forces told AFP that the arrests were linked to an alleged coup attempt. Had it succeeded, the plot would have ended more than 25 years of democratic rule in Africa’s most populous nation.
In a statement issued on Monday, Defence Headquarters spokesperson Major General Samaila Uba said investigations into the matter had been completed and had uncovered allegations against several officers accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
He noted that those found to have cases to answer would be formally brought before a military judicial panel for trial, though no timeline was provided. Legal experts say the accused could face the death penalty if convicted.
Soon after the government initially denied the coup allegations, President Tinubu carried out a reshuffle of the top military leadership. At the time, a senior official told AFP that such changes usually point to intelligence failures, which no leader would tolerate.
