Rattled by rumors that a group was circulating a document calling for a Coup d’etat against the presidency of Muhammadu Buhrai, Government have beefed up security around Around Aso Rock and the President.
The Magazine gathered that the Presidential Guard, the group that is sworn to the protection of the president under any circumstance, is undergoing a silent shakeup while there is an ongoing massive redeployment of Aso Rock staff. This has become necessary particularly in the wake of the 2015 general election, when Buhari lost in his Aso Rock ward. This was interpreted as a bad omen, indicating the President is no longer safe within the vicinity of the presidential Villa.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Tuesday, May 14, dissociated the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) from the document.
According to Agency reports, Navy Capt. Muhammed Wabi, deputy director of Defence Information accused a group, “Nigerian Continuity and Progress (NCP)’’ as being behind the document. Wabi alleged that the document called for the setting up of an “interim government’’ in place of the elected government.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) wishes to dissociate itself from the rascality and intentions as espoused in a document being circulated by a faceless group named Nigerian Continuity and Progress (NCP) calling for support of a revolution to oust the current democratically elected government and in its place establish an illegitimate interim government.”,Wabi said.
“The AFN out-rightly condemns the undemocratic and demonic actions of the author of the document. Accordingly, members of the public are enjoined to discountenance the content of the documents being circulated by NCP and equally condemn in totality the call to derail our hard earned democracy,’’ the statement said. Wabi said that the AFN was “very mindful of its constitutional responsibilities’’ and would not be misled into any act that would undermine democracy as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution as amended. “The AFN remains unflinchingly loyal to the Constitution, as well as President Muhammadu Buhari and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
This is not the first coup rumor in the life of this administration.
Recall that a group, Joint Niger Delta Liberation Front, JNDLF, have, about two years ago, indicated that a group of Military officers have approached them for co-operation in removing President Buhari.The group, which had remained faceless, did come under fire from the Military high command, who saw their statement as a distraction from the war against Terror and Bandits. “This is not true”, Buratai had said, “And (The Nigerian Army) hereby distances itself from this weighty allegation. We also see this speculation as a dangerous distraction to our effort in fighting insurgency and other criminal elements in the country.”
Apart from the beefing up of security in Aso Rock resulting from the current coup scare, the Military high command has in recent times effected military postings believed not to be unconnected with security signals. Unconfirmed reports indicate that there is an ongoing underground probe of the allegation of complicity of the Nigerian Army in the document under circulation.
But there appears to be a spate of skepticism in some quarters. For example, the former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has dismissed the denial of involvement of the Nigerian Army in the coup document. He had tweeted that the army should not be taken serious, afterall there was a coup rumor in 1985 which the army promptly denied only for the coup that brought Mohammadu Buhari into power to take place shortly after.
Discover more from The Source
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
