A new report has shed more light on the plot by some military officials to violently and forcefully seize power and oust the current government two years ago.
This is as the ringleader of the putschists, a Nigerian Army Colonel, Mohammed Ma’aji, opened up on what inspired their coup plot against President Bola Tinubu.
Recall that the Federal Government last year announced the arrest of some military personnel over their involvement in a putsch to overthrow Tinubu’s government.
The putschists are currently being tried in a civilian court.
Speaking about the failed coup, Ma’aji disclosed that the plot to topple Tinubu’s administration began towards the end of the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
He disclosed that the coupists felt there was a need for the military to intervene in what they considered to be a precarious and troubling state of the nation.
Ma’aji said worsening insecurity, corruption and economic hardship were among the issues discussed by those who allegedly partook in the botched coup.
“Things particularly got out of control towards the end of Buhari’s administration when corruption and nepotism became the order of the day,” Premium Times quoted him as saying.
The Army Colonel said he was dissatisfied with how the military hierarchy was handling the deepening security crisis in the country, which has claimed millions of lives and displaced thousands more.
He noted that the military top brass was at best indifferent and lukewarm to the nation’s deteriorating security, and at worst, condoned those behind it, stressing that they should have been more forceful and ruthless in dealing with the menace. He disclosed that the group subsequently began identifying officers who shared this sentiment.
“Most of the officers involved share the same sense of patriotism, love of country and genuine desire for positive change,” he wrote.
Ma’aji further revealed that the purported putsch was initially abandoned because of paucity of funds, logistics and manpower, claiming that much of the early financing came from his personal resources.
He explained that one Army major contributed N1 million, while another officer allegedly provided dollars on several occasions.
The military officer revealed that the alleged coup plot was revived after he was overlooked for promotion to the rank of Brigadier General for a second time to secure it in 2024. He, however, maintained that his failure to secure the promotion was not the primary reason for the alleged coup.
Ma’aji cited dissatisfaction with fuel subsidy removal, exchange-rate reforms, taxation, electricity tariffs, corruption and insecurity.
He also bemoaned how protests such as #EndSARS and #EndBadGovernance were managed, claiming that many young Nigerians had become frustrated over the state of the nation as unemployment and economic hardship deepen.
