Coup d’états are not an alien phenomenon to Nigeria. For a time, they were the unmistakable reality of the Nigerian state, and their imprint remains very visible on the foundation and structure of the nation, long after the men in uniform have been sent packing from the corridors of power. Nigeria has experienced at least six successive coups since its independence. One thing that nearly all these coups have in common is the reason for their execution by the putschists who carry them out.
Last week, a report emerged in the media that some seventeen military officers have been detained over involvement in a plot to overthrow the President Tinubu government. The report by Sahara Reporter claimed that the purported failed coup was behind the cancellation of the Independence Day parade that is usually held on October 1, Nigeria’s Independence Day. The defence headquarters would later debunk the report of the attempted coup as false and baseless.
Whether there is a coup or not is immaterial now, whether a coup would have succeeded if indeed there was one is also inconsequential at this point. However, what should matter to us as a nation and people, especially the politicians, the ruling class and elites, is the reaction of many Nigerians to the purported coup attempt. There is no gainsaying that Nigerians have been plunged into economic hardship since the Tinubu government came to power as his twin policies of fuel subsidy removal and naira devaluation triggered runaway inflation and a crushing cost-of-living crisis that decimated the purchasing power of the people and eroded their disposable income
When you add the troubling perennial and widespread insecurity occasioned by violent attacks and wanton killings of unarmed and hapless Nigerians to the unprecedented economic hardship and cost of living crisis, what you will get is a nation of people who have lost hope and confidence in the ability of those in power to provide a purposeful, impactful, visionary and altruistic leadership that will prioritise the growth and development of the nation over personal interest, that will focus on progress and improvement of the lives of their people over corrupt enrichment of themselves through diversion and embezzlement of public funds. What this then does is to create a situation where people begin to clandestinely or explicitly yearn for alternatives outside the democratic and constitutional order. These long-suffering and much-tried people would not mind a military intervention if it were going to salvage the situation and make their lives better. And these showed in their reactions of many Nigerians to the coup report.
The reactions have ranged from indifference to tacit support for the coup to exasperation that it didn’t succeed. Some took to their social media to openly call for the overthrow of the Tinubu government by the military. One such person is Innocent Chukwuma. Last week, Chukwuma, while posting his “X” handle “@TheAgroman,” Innocent Chukwuma, stated that a coup was needed in Nigeria and called on the military to “suspend the Nigerian government.” He would later be picked up by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Interestingly, Chukwuma’s call for a junta to seize power in Nigeria coincided with the period when Nigeria’s social media space was awash with claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria which also prompted many Nigerians, especially Christians, to call for foreign invasion of the country. While both demands are considered seditious and treasonable, one cannot help but wonder why the DSS was quick to track down Chukwuma but refused to go after those who agitated for the invasion of Nigeria by foreign forces, their crime is no less grave than that of the man who advocated for military intervention in the country. So why have they not been tracked and arrested?
Also, last week a video of kidnappers threatening to kill a young girl if the ransom of ₦20 million was not paid went viral online. One would have expected that the DSS would deploy the enormous state resources at its disposal to track down these criminals but that did not happen. The abducted lady later regained her freedom after the ransom was paid. One thing the DSS must understand is that this kind of dereliction of duty and outright refusal to perform its primary responsibility of gathering intelligence and moving against criminal elements who commit heinous and barbaric acts against fellow Nigerian state and its citizens is one of the reasons why the call for a coup in the country became a thing.
Furthermore, the DSS must also know that it is first and foremost an agency set up to ensure that conditions that can give rise to calls for military takeover in the country are not allowed to flourish. And so far it has failed in that regard. The agency cannot look the other way as criminal elements terrorise Nigerians and turn the country into a huge enclave of uncertainty and trepidation, but suddenly finds its mojo when citizens bear the brunt of its incompetence and indifference to the diabolical and abhorrent actions of these evil characters.
It also cannot choose and pick when to go after those it feels have committed an offence that undermines the position of constituted authority. It must act like an organisation whose sole mandate is to look out for Nigerians not oppress them
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