Video: Recent coup attempt futile, plotters are confused junior officers — Musa
General Christopher Gwabin Musa
Abdullateef Fowewe
Defence Minister, Christopher Musa has dismissed a recent coup attempt as pointless, saying the plotters were inexperienced and lacked any valid motive for their actions.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS, Musa said the decision to relieve him briefly was “a presidential decision,” adding that he was later reinstated and cleared of any wrongdoing.
“I’ve spent over 34 years, so at any time I did this discussion with Mr President, I could be relieved and was let go. And five weeks later I’m back to show you that yes it wasn’t because I was involved in anything and far from it — we were the ones who actually identified who reported.
“I was the one who convinced the committee that did the investigation,” he said.
Musa noted that the episode offers a teaching moment for younger officers, stressing that “coup doesn’t pay anything. Democracy is far, far better than any military regime.”
He called the suspects “just a bunch of confused individuals — very junior officers. They didn’t even know their left from their right, and then put them into this mess.”
The minister defended the military’s record and welfare, saying Nigeria was “going very well” and that the armed forces had been well looked after.
“We’ve never had issues with our salaries. Efforts are being made to even increase our salaries and allowances. Our troops are doing quite very well. We’re getting more equipment too to fight and make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Musa said.
He insisted that investigators are following due process and that nothing is being hidden.
“We are giving them all the benefits to defend ourself but the facts on the ground are very, very clear and I can tell you that we are following all the processes,” he said, calling the coup attempt “quite unfortunate.”
Musa also argued the plot was doomed to fail, saying even civilians would have opposed the putsch.
“Anybody who is thinking or planning, I think it’s just futility. Even the civilians in Nigeria would have taken them down. So I think it was foolhardy for them to have done what they are trying to do.”
