Failed coup: I was meant to be shot – Defence minster

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, has revealed that he was among the intended targets of a foiled coup plot, disclosing that the masterminds planned to have him shot if he resisted arrest.

General Musa made the disclosure on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, days after the military announced that about sixteen officers arrested in October would face trial over an alleged attempt to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.

“I was also a target, I am sure you know,” the minister, who is the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), said during the programme.

“I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot,” he disclosed.

In October, the military announced the arrest of “sixteen officers over acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.”

However, authorities last week revealed that further investigations uncovered more serious allegations.

According to the military, “findings have identified a number of the officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government, which is inconsistent with the ethics, values, and professional standards required of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).”

The Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said those implicated would be prosecuted.

“Accordingly, those with cases to answer will be formally arraigned before an appropriate military judicial panel to face trial in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and other applicable service regulations,” he stated.

Failed coup: I was meant to be shot – Defence minster