Top intelligence sources have provided insights into how some military officers accused of alleged coup plot had planned to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government and disrupt the country’s 26 years of continuous democracy.
Premium Times had reported how about 20 officers were arrested and detained for allegedly planning to stage the coup.
A top military source familiar with the development told Premium Times that the development caused tension in government, forcing the presidency to cancel the National Independence Day parade usually done on 1 October.
According to insider accounts, the suspected coup planners scheduled 25 October to strike.
“That was the tentative date,” the source said. “If things did not work out that day, they will continue plotting.”
The Independence Day parade would have been observed, according to our sources.
“The parade could have been held since the arrests were made before 01 October, but the government did not want to take risk since it was a military ceremony,” another officer said.
Even though there are no clear details about the identities of the officers yet, an investigative panel is said to have been set up to probe the officers involved in the alleged coup plot.
People with knowledge of the matter said, the key officials allegedly targeted for assasination include President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, Premium Times reports.
“There are other people targeted,” one source said. “But those are the key targets.”
“They also planned to arrest top military officers, including the service chiefs,” he continued. “They did not want to kill them.”
The suspected coup planners wanted to assassinate these officials simultaneously. “They were targeting the day that all of them would be in the country. Wherever they were, they would be assassinated,” he added.
According to Premium Times sources, the plotters worked with informants in the Presidential Villa and around those marked for elimination.
“They have people in the villa that monitor movements of these officials,” he said. “They wanted to kill them at the same time and install a military government.”