By SCM Staff Writer I Saturday, October 18, 2025
ABUJA, Nigeria – NIGERIA’S army chiefs have slammed ‘false and malicious’ rumours of a military coup plot, saying there is ‘no threat’ to democracy.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) was forced to issue a blazing denial after an online report linked the cancellation of Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary activities to a sensational alleged ‘putsch’ attempt.
Insisting that talk of a coup was “entirely false, malicious, and intended to cause unnecessary tension,” the DHQ firmly backed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, the Director Defence Information, said the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) remains “firmly loyal to the Constitution.”
The stunning denial comes after an online publication tried to connect the anniversary cancellation with the recent arrest of 16 officers for ‘professional misconduct’.
But the military top brass insisted the parade was axed simply to allow President Tinubu to attend a key “strategic bilateral meeting” abroad.
They also claimed the cancellation was so troops could “sustain the momentum on the fight against terrorism, insurgency and banditry” in the West African powerhouse.
Regarding the 16 officers, the DHQ called the arrests a “routine internal process” to keep ‘discipline and professionalism’ high.
General Gusau confirmed an investigative panel has been appointed and promised its findings would be made public.
In a stirring message to the nation, he declared that “Democracy is forever” and urged all citizens to disregard the “falsehood being circulated by the purveyors of misinformation and enemies of our nation.”
The army is now pleading for continued public support for all its security agents.
