Coup Rumours in Nigeria Ignite Nationwide Fury and Fierce Defenses of Democracy
By: Abudu Olalekan
Coup rumours rock Nigeria with claims of a plot against President Tinubu. Defence HQ denies it all, but sources say arrests happened. SANs, retired generals, and social media explode in outrage—democracy must stand!
Reports hit hard. Some military bigwigs allegedly plotting to oust the government. Arrests in the dead of night. Homes raided across the country. From captains to brigadier generals—they’re nabbed by the Defence Intelligence Agency. The plan? Strike on October 1, Independence Day. But nope. Parades canceled last minute. Suspicious, right?
A security insider spilled to Reportersroom. “Arrests kicked off September 30. More than 16 officers. Led by a general.” Chills. But hold up. Defence Headquarters shuts it down fast. Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, Director of Defence Media Operations, laughs it off. “No coup plot. We’re clueless about that.” He points to their October 4 statement. Those 16? Busted for “breaches of military regs and indiscipline.” Grievances? Failed promotions. Career stagnation. That’s it, they say. No updates since. If there were, we’d know.
Yet Sahara Reporters drops the bomb. Officers detained for plotting overthrow. Nationwide grabs. The plot thickens. Nigerians aren’t buying the denial. Fury boils over. Senior lawyers—SANs—jump in. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa’s voice booms. “Reject military rule! Hardship don’t justify this.” He mixes it up. “Worst civilian gov beats best dictatorship. We ain’t going back to Egypt.” Casual yet fierce.
Kunle Adegoke calls it “unwarranted, unnecessary.” Disastrous for Africa, he warns. “Imperfect democracy trumps perfect military boot.” Blames “uncultured youths” who never tasted the old pain. Rights abused. Constitution suspended. Freedoms crushed. Since ’99, we’ve climbed. Don’t slide back.
Yusuf Ali shakes his head. “Catastrophic.” Roots of today’s woes? Military eras. “Don’t believe any uniform thinks this.” Isiaka Olagunju nods. “Lived through it? Never again.” DHQ denies. Good. But protect democracy, he urges. Strengthen institutions. Stay vigilant.
Retired generals pile on. Brigadier Bashir Adewinbi (retd.) smells politics. “Instigated by desperate pols. Military backs Tinubu solid.” Peter Aro (retd.) calms nerves. “Stay chill. These officers? Pros. Peacekeepers. Global standards. Not ’80s banana republic.” Evolved. Loyal. Coup whispers in 2025? Laughable. George Emdin (retd.) flat out: “Can’t be true. Top brass ain’t in it. Forget it.”
Civil society roars too. YIAGA Africa’s Samson Itodo: “Investigate deep. Coups? No place here.” Democracy’s maturing. Deal decisively. Debo Adeniran, CDHR chair: “Misadventure. Nigerians won’t tolerate.” Sahel neighbors suffering—don’t join ’em.
Social media? A storm. Legal eagle Ofili Onwugbenu on Facebook: “Parade canceled? Weird. But coup now? End of Nigeria. Ruthlessly crush ’em.” Femi Aduwo on X: “Grateful for fragile democracy. Truth’ll out.” Tolulope Adelaja: “Tinubu fixing economy. No dark ages.” Agba Akin: “Worse than ’66. Long live Tinubu. Constitution rules.” Chiazoka Ibe: “Reform, not instability.” Analyst Bashiru Akanbi fears more tries. “Living conditions pushing it.”
It’s a tale of a nation scarred but standing tall. Coup rumours triggered this rage. But unity shines. Democracy’s fragile thread. We’ve bled enough. No turning back. Reportersroom watched it unfold—outrage to resolve. Stay tuned.
Additional reports by Ismaeel Uthman, Godfrey George, Daniel Ayantoye, Olufemi Adediran, and Ayoola Olasupo
