“COUP PLOT THICKENS: TINUBU, SHETTIMA, MINISTERS TARGETED IN FOILED MILITARY TAKEOVER “
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS-INTERIM investigation report reveals a clandestine network of military officers coordinated by an Army Colonel planned to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government. Here are the key highlights:
– Colonel’s Role : The Colonel, reportedly passed over for promotion twice, mobilised like-minded officers across the Army, Navy, and Air Force, assigning them to survey critical national installations.
– Targets : President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima, ministers, service chiefs, and other notable government officials were marked for elimination.
– Funding : Financial inducements ranging from N2m to N5m were distributed to some principal actors, with a major financier under investigation.
– Communication : Encrypted messaging platforms, including WhatsApp and Zangi, were used to coordinate activities.
– Arrests : 16 officers, including a Brigadier General, have been detained, with more arrests expected.
_”Multiple testimonies implicate Col (name withheld) as the coordinator of the conspiracy. He has been identified so far as the source of funding, recruitment, and motivation, openly lamenting his stagnation in promotion and expressing the need to ‘change government’,”_ the report stated.
_”The threat was elevated by the cross-service nature of the network, the involvement of senior officers up to the rank of Brigadier-General, and the identification of strategic installations for seizure,”_ investigators warned.
While full investigations continued and more suspects were being tracked, security sources said the findings justified swift preventive action to dismantle the network, secure sensitive locations, and cut off funding lines sustaining the alleged plot.
“The threat posed was clear and immediate,” the report concluded, adding that failure to act could have had “grave implications for national stability.”
Security agencies are also reportedly examining alleged political linkages surrounding the uncovered coup plot within the Armed Forces, with sources confirming that the name of a former minister surfaced in the course of ongoing intelligence reviews.
However, no formal charge had been filed against the former minister, and no arrest warrant had been issued, as he had been outside the country for a while.
Security sources told The PUNCH that the probe had expanded beyond serving military officers to include civilian contacts, financiers, and political associates who may have had direct or indirect interactions with key suspects.
“The investigation is not limited to uniforms alone,” one source said.
“We are looking at communication trails, financial flows, and political interfaces. That does not mean guilt; it means due diligence,” he added.
SOURCE==PUNCH==EXCEPT THE HEADLINE AND INTRO PLUS A FEW PARAGRAPHS
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