Minister of Defence,CDS Christopher Musa
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, has revealed that he was among the key figures marked for arrest and possible execution in an alleged coup plot aimed at overthrowing President Bola Tinubu led administration.
General Musa made the disclosure on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, days after the military announced that some of the 16 officers arrested in October would face trial over their alleged involvement in the plot.
“I was also a target, I am sure you know,” the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) said during the programme.
Giving further details, the Kaduna-born officer stated, “I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot,” describing the gravity of the plan allegedly hatched by the officers now under investigation.
The military had initially announced the arrest of the officers over “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations,” but later disclosed that investigations uncovered allegations of an attempt to overthrow the government.
According to a statement by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, “findings have identified a number of the officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government, which is inconsistent with the ethics, values, and professional standards required of members of the AFN,” adding that those with cases to answer would be arraigned before a military judicial panel.
Reacting to the plot, General Musa described those involved as “unserious individuals,” saying, “I think these guys were a bunch of unserious individuals. If you look at the calibre of persons [involved in the attempted coup], I don’t know what got into their heads to think they can take on the Armed Forces like that.”
He added that Nigerians would have resisted any attempt to return the country to military rule, noting, “even Nigerians would have fought 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.”
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