Military should have apologised after coup plot u-turn – Falana

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has criticised the Nigerian military over its handling of an alleged coup plot.

Falana spoke on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

He said the military misled Nigerians by first denying the existence of a coup plot, only to later announce that some officers would be charged in court.

According to him, the military should have apologised to Nigerians after changing its position.

“Yesterday, the military authorities should have apologised to Nigerians. People in power must learn to take citizens seriously,” Falana said.

He described it as wrong for the military to reverse such an important claim without offering an apology.

Falana explained that if the military initially said there was no coup plot, but later discovered during investigations that the issue went beyond indiscipline, it owed Nigerians an apology.

He added that admitting the earlier denial and apologising after confirming the allegations would have been a more honourable and responsible action.

The military had earlier said that 16 officers were arrested for acts of indiscipline and violations of service rules.

At the time, it denied reports linking the arrests and the cancellation of the 2025 Independence Day parade to a coup plot.

The military described those reports as false, malicious, and capable of creating unnecessary fear and distrust among Nigerians.

However, more than three months later, the military announced that some officers would be arraigned over an alleged plot to overthrow the government.