The federal government has formally rejected reports of a failed coup against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, reaffirming confidence in the armed forces’ leadership.
Speaking to the press, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the government “has no reason to doubt what the Defence Headquarters has stated” and reiterated full support for the military’s work defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
Last Saturday, the Defence Headquarters dismissed an online publication’s claim that 16 military officers had been detained over an alleged coup plot, a claim that also sought to link the cancellation of Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day parade to a move to topple the government.
Brig.‑Gen. Tukur Gusau, Director of Defence Information, said the cancellation of the parade was “purely administrative” and tied to the President’s foreign engagement and ongoing military operations, not any plot to seize power.
He described the rumour as “false and malicious, intended to create unnecessary tension and distrust among the populace.”
The government, for its part, reiterated faith in the Armed Forces of Nigeria and pledged “continued support … in their task of ensuring the security of Nigeria.”
Nevertheless, opposition parties and some civil society actors are demanding more transparency.
For example, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and the Labour Party say Nigerians have a right to know the nature of any investigations involving security personnel.
They argue detention of officers, if true, must follow due process and should not fuel rumours of unrest.
Meanwhile, the pan‑Yoruba socio‑political group Afenifere warned against any military incursion into government, reasoning that a coup would jeopardize the country’s democratic gains.
The group proclaimed its support for the President’s government, urging the public to resist efforts to subvert constitutional rule.
According to Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, the constitution clearly prohibits extra‑constitutional changes of government, and past military takeovers have left Nigeria with scars of institutional collapse and economic retrogression.
They reiterated their view that reform must come through lawful means, not the barrel of a gun, and called on ambitious officers to resign their commissions if they wish to test their popularity outside the uniform.
