The Nigerian military has been under fire from human rights attorney Femi Falana, SAN, when it declared that certain officers would face charges related to a purported plot to topple the government.
Falana stated in an interview on Channels Television’s “The Morning Brief” on Tuesday that the news implied the military officials had purposefully misled the public.
According to the top attorney, the military ought to have expressed regret to Nigerians for its prior denial.
The military officials should have apologized to Nigerians yesterday. Falana stated, “Those in positions of power need to learn to respect us as a people.
He went on to say that it was wrong to change such a serious stance without making an apology.
“You should have apologized to the Nigerian people if you had declared three months ago that there was no coup plot and, during your investigation, found that the issue went beyond indiscipline,” he stated.
Falana believes that it would have been more honorable to publicly acknowledge the earlier denial and offer an apology after verifying the accusations.
The military reportedly made the revelation on Monday, more than three months after it declared that 16 officers had been detained for disobedience and breaking service rules.
At the time, the military refuted claims that the cancelation of the 2025 Independence Day celebration was connected to a purported coup plot, characterizing the assertion as mischievous, untrue, and capable of causing needless anxiety and mistrust among Nigerians.
