Coup Attempt: I Was Targeted for Elimination, Says Defence Minister

*Says Interpol after civilian suspects on the run

*Discloses Nigeria’s security pact with Türkiye not to spite US

*I am in political transition, could join APC soon, says ex-CDS

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja, Chinedu Ezeh and Raheem Akingbolu in Lagos

In a startling revelation yesterday, the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), confirmed that his life 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.

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 even 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 said 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.

Besides, the minister assured that the security partnership with Türkiye, which saw Tinubu travel last week, will not undermine Nigeria’s relationship with the US, stressing that the country remains committed to its non-aligned foreign policy.The former Chief of Defence Staff, reaffirmed that Nigeria’s approach allows it to work with multiple international partners in its national interest. “Nigeria is now a non-aligned nation, which means we can partner with everybody. Once you are a friendly nation to us, we are friends, and we can relate directly.

“That is why we can deal with China, Türkiye, and the United States. The idea of isolating yourself with just one group is not the best for anybody,” he explained, stressing that diverse defence partnerships gives Nigeria strategic leverage and citing Egypt as an example of a country that benefits from cooperation with multiple global powers.He added: “You can see in Egypt that they have support from several countries. It is important to keep that leverage so you can continue to move forward.”

According to him, military equipment and technology from Türkiye would begin arriving in Nigeria soon, following the signing of defence agreements between both countries, stating that  the agreements go beyond procurement, but also focus heavily on military education, joint training, and defence industry cooperation.“Very soon. Some of them are already ready. We are working on the paperwork now. The signing has been done, and we will proceed with discussions, training, and capacity building. Some of these are quick interventions that will come in, and we are going to deploy them as fast as possible.

“What we signed is essentially putting pen to paper on our friendship and military cooperation. It involves military education, exchange of officers, and training of troops. They will send their personnel here, and we will send ours there.“On defence industry cooperation, we have not done much on production before, and we want to replicate what they have achieved. They can come here, produce the same standard equipment they have in Türkiye, transfer the technology, and make it Nigerian-owned,” he said.

On whether he is now a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), being a minister already under the ruling political party, Musa said that it was something he was considering seriously. “I’ve not transitioned yet. I’m in transition. Not yet, but I think I’ll be. Definitely. The APC has given me the platform to present myself right from when I was the CDS till date, so why not?”, he noted.