By Sodiq Adelakun
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has criticised the Nigerian military for failing to apologise to Nigerians after first dismissing reports of a coup plot, only to later confirm that an alleged attempt to overthrow the government was under investigation.
Falana made the remarks on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, following the military’s announcement that some officers would face a military judicial panel over the alleged plot.
“The military authorities ought to have apologised to Nigerians. People in authority must learn to take citizens seriously,” Falana said.
On Monday, the military disclosed that several officers would be tried over the alleged coup plot, more than three months after it arrested 16 officers, initially citing acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.
However, in October 2025, the military had denied that the cancellation of the 2025 Independence Day parade was linked to any coup-related activity, describing such claims as false, malicious and capable of creating unnecessary tension and distrust among Nigerians.
Reacting to the shift in position, Falana accused the military of misleading the public and said a public apology was required once investigations showed the matter went beyond internal misconduct.
“If you told Nigerians three months ago that there was no coup plot and later discovered that it was more serious than indiscipline, the honourable thing to do was to apologise to the Nigerian people,” he stated.
The senior advocate described the reversal without an apology as unacceptable, adding that acknowledging the error would have helped rebuild public trust. He expressed hope that the military would still offer an apology.
Falana also questioned the decision to subject the detained officers to a court martial, arguing that allegations of a coup amount to treason or treasonable felony, offences which, he said, can only be tried by a Federal or State High Court.
He further condemned the alleged denial of access to legal representation for the detained officers, insisting that they are entitled to meet with their lawyers, family members and doctors.
Falana added that as many as 42 people had reportedly been arrested in connection with the matter and called for the immediate release of anyone who has not been formally charged.
