Falana to Military: Apologise to Nigerians for initially denying coup plot

Falana

Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, says the Nigerian military misled the public on its handling of the alleged coup plot.

The senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) was reacting to the military’s admission that certain officers would be tried before a judicial panel over an alleged attempt to overthrow the government.

BACKGROUND

The federal government announced in October 2025 that the Independence Day parade scheduled for October 1, to mark Nigeria’s 65th anniversary, had been cancelled.

Days later, reports emerged linking the cancellation to an alleged coup attempt.

The defence headquarters (DHQ) dismissed the reports, insisting that the cancellation was unrelated to any coup plot.

The DHQ also said the arrest of some officers mentioned in the reports had no connection to an alleged attempt to overthrow the government.

On October 31, TheCable reported that 16 military officers were arrested in the first week of the month over the alleged plot, while two others were said to be on the run.

On Monday, the DHQ finally confirmed that there was an alleged plan to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.

Samaila Uba, director of defence information, said investigations conducted in line with established military procedures uncovered the involvement of some personnel.