I was targeted for elimination in coup attempt, says Defence Minister

The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), confirmed that he was targeted in the recently foiled alleged coup plot, explaining that he was supposed to be arrested and eventually eliminated if he resisted the plan by the coup plotters to apprehend him.

The erstwhile Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) described the alleged plotters as “unserious individuals” but warned that the threat was real enough to trigger swift action, with several suspects now arrested and others actively being pursued internationally by the Interpol.a

The attempted coup d’etat which has dominated headlines recently involved a plot by a network of military officers, security personnel and civilians to violently overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government. Over a dozen serving military officers are currently in custody for the planned illegal takeover of the government, while a number of civilians remain on the run.

Speaking on sundry security-related issues on Channels Television, Musa argued that something must have seriously gone wrong with the officers to think of forcefully taking over the government, arguing that even if they were not caught, they would have been staunchly resisted by Nigerians.

“I was also a target, I am sure you know. I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot,” the 58-year-old retired general emphasised. “But that’s the job”, he said, noting that anybody who goes to plan a coup knows the consequences. “If you succeed, good (for you) if not, whatever the consequences you are ready for it,“ he stated.

According to Musa, those involved in the coup plot were “unserious individuals”, whose calibre could not have successfully carried out such a grand plan.

The plot came to light after intelligence agencies uncovered secret meetings and communications among a network of serving and retired military officers, with alleged support from some civilians. Security officials said the plan aimed to disrupt the constitutional order in Nigeria.

During the investigation, former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, was mentioned, prompting additional scrutiny by authorities. Sylva has since been out of the country.

“But again, I think these guys were just a bunch of very unserious individuals that really don’t know (anything). If you look at the calibre of the individuals, I don’t know what got into their heads to think that they could take on the armed forces like that,” Musa emphasised.

Besides, the minister insisted that Nigerians would have fought against the coup plotters as they have done in the past, explaining that the alleged coup plotters need their brains reset and insisting that they will pay dearly for their indiscretion.

“What I even said is that Nigerians would have fought them. Remember, Nigerians have fought against military rule for quite some time. Mr President has been one of them, so for them to wake up one morning and think they can do that in Nigeria, I think they need to reset their brain,” he said.

So far, the defence minister pointed out that most of the suspects were in custody, but said that those still at large will be brought to book. He said the colonel did not meet the requirements for promotion, because the armed forces declined to elevate him to the next rank.

Musa also attempted to defend the military for initially insisting that there was no coup initially, stressing that the language used was to ensure that there was no panic; that all those involved were picked up before any public disclosure and that no innocent person was wrongly accused.

“Things were being monitored until when we were sure that these are the things and then we just moved in and these facts are very clear. And what we tried to avoid is we didn’t want any innocent person to be indicted for whatever reason. So, it was painstaking.

“I was there, I was the one who inaugurated the board. I made sure the board started to send them to the DIA (Defence Intelligence Agency) to do a thorough investigation and together with all the others, the NIA, the DSS and every other person. So, it’s a holistic investigation that we carried out because we didn’t want any innocent person to be indicted,” he explained.

However, the defence minister stated that it is almost impossible to successfully execute a coup d’etat in today’s Nigeria, stressing that it was unfortunate that many of the young officers did not know they were being used.

“The ability to execute it is one thing. I know that they probably thought they were in some other country, not Nigeria. So it’s difficult to get that done in today’s Nigeria,” he maintained, stressing that every security loophole detected during investigation has now been blocked.

Specifically, he stated that some of the civilians were still at large. “The said civilians are still at large. Interpol is already contacted. Interpol is getting them. We’ll get them. It’s just a matter of time,” Musa stated.

On whether the aborted coup had ethnic colouration, Musa stated that although he wasn’t defending the suspects, their leader may just have picked the officers around him to carry out the plot.

“I think he just met people that were around him. And it so happens, you know, the military is so like a family. Sometimes where you operate are people that you know around that area. So probably that’s what happened. I am not saying it for him. But the truth about it is that I think they were just very stupid going about what they did,” he pointed out.