<\/p>\n
The Minister of Defence has explained why the military first dismissed reports of a coup plot against President Bola Tinubu.<\/p>\n
General Christopher Musa (rtd) said the Armed Forces avoided using the word \u201ccoup\u201d at the early stage because investigations were still ongoing. He noted that the issue was too serious to announce without confirmed facts.<\/p>\n
Speaking during a television interview, Musa said the military needed time to verify intelligence before informing Nigerians. According to him, announcing a coup prematurely could have caused panic and allowed suspects to escape.<\/p>\n
He explained that once the word \u201ccoup\u201d is mentioned, those involved often go into hiding. This, he said, would have disrupted the investigation process.<\/p>\n
Musa added that the incident began as an internal case of indiscipline within the armed forces. He said it was only after thorough inquiries that security agencies discovered the full scale of the plot.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cOnce you mention coup, you will not see some of these guys because they know the consequences.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth is that we wanted to be sure because it was an act of indiscipline and it\u2019s all part of it because for what they did started just like that.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, it was during the investigation that these things got revealed. And so, it was important for us to follow the steps to ensure that what we are reporting is direct.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is because coup is such a serious thing that we don\u2019t want to say this today and tomorrow we say another thing. It\u2019s better we say no for now until we find out after investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The defence minister stressed that consistency and accuracy guided the military\u2019s public communication. He said the goal was to avoid confusion and protect national stability.<\/p>\n
He confirmed that the alleged coup plan was uncovered through joint intelligence efforts by the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).<\/p>\n