Coup plot: Why an apology is non-negotiable

The admission by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) this Monday that there was indeed a plot to overthrow the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a chilling vindication of the rumour mongers the military so vehemently vilified just four months ago.

On Monday, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, confirmed that investigations into 16 officers arrested in October 2025 revealed a sinister plot to truncate Nigeria’s democracy. While the successful foiling of this putsch is a victory for our intelligence agencies and a relief to all lovers of democracy, the military’s handling of the narrative surrounding these events has inflicted a deep wound on public trust, one that only a sincere apology can begin to heal.

We must recall the events of October 2025. When the federal government abruptly cancelled the 65th Independence Day parade, a ceremonial staple of our national life, speculation naturally rife. Credible media reports suggested that the cancellation was linked to a security breach and a foiled coup attempt. The response from the military high command was not just a denial, it was an aggressive dismissal.

Americans call it gaslighting. The DHQ insisted the cancellation was unrelated to any coup. They claimed the arrests of the officers were merely for acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations painting a picture of administrative misdemeanors rather than high treason. They accused the media of sensationalism and the public of peddling fake news.

Now, the truth is out. The indiscipline was, in fact, an attempt to topple the government. The administrative breach was treason.

This volte-face raises uncomfortable questions. If the military could look Nigerians in the eye and deny a threat as existential as a coup, how are we to believe their daily briefings on the war against terror? When they claim a bandit kingpin has been neutralized or that a territory is secure is that the truth, or is it another strategic management of information?

We understand the need for operational security. No one expects the military to broadcast live updates of a counter-intelligence operation. However, there is a distinct line between maintaining silence for security and actively misleading the populace. By categorically denying the existence of a plot they knew to be real, the military crossed that line. They did not just hide the truth, they sold a falsehood.

As noted by human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), the military hierarchy owes the Nigerian people an unreserved apology. This is not about embarrassing the armed forces; it is about strengthening them.

In a democracy, the military belongs to the people. Its legitimacy draws not just from the barrel of a gun, but from the trust of the citizenry it protects. That trust is fragile. When the guardians of the state are caught in a lie, it fuels the very instability they seek to prevent. It gives oxygen to conspiracy theorists and erodes the credibility of official communication.

Furthermore, this admission comes at a time when the coup contagion in West Africa is a tangible threat. By initially masking the severity of the October plot, the military perhaps sought to avoid panic. But panic is often less dangerous than cynicism. A citizenry that knows its democracy is under threat can be mobilized to defend it. A citizenry that believes its government and military are liars will look on with indifference or worse should the tanks ever roll out.

The Nigerian Army has done well to protect the President and the Constitution. For that, they deserve our commendation. But they have failed in their duty of candor to the Nigerian people. They must now show the moral courage to admit their error in communication.

They must apologize for the deception of October 2025. If they do not, the ghost of this denial will haunt every press statement they issue in the future. Nigerians deserve the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. Democracy dies in darkness, but it rots in dishonesty.