The Presidency has dismissed reports of an alleged coup attempt in Nigeria, reaffirming its confidence in the military’s loyalty to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking on air on TVC News on Tuesday, the Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to the President, Sunday Dare, said there was “no coup attempt” anywhere in the country.
He maintained that the government fully aligns with the position of the Nigerian Armed Forces, which had earlier denied any such plot.
Dare stressed that the military remains the constitutionally recognized institution responsible for safeguarding Nigeria’s sovereignty and unity. He added that President Tinubu has full trust in their professionalism and allegiance.
He said, “We are going to stick to the narrative of the military because they are the ones constitutionally empowered to secure this country. They are given the power, arms and ammunition as the intelligence power.
“So when the military says these are the reasons why we have this development, we are going to stay with that narrative because that is the brief that is out there. Until the military comes with a different narrative, we are going to stay with that narrative. On some military being retained, there is a need to have institutional memory and maintain a balance and this decision was not taken on a flip for the person that was retained.”
However, the Presidency’s response comes amid public anxiety over claims of a coup plot and the ongoing detention of several military officers by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
In recent days, reports surfaced alleging that operatives of the Nigerian Army raided the Abuja home of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, in connection with the alleged plot.
Security sources said a “special military team” conducted the raid after intelligence linked a “former South-South governor” to secret meetings with some of the detained officers.
Sources revealed that Sylva’s brother, identified as Paga, was arrested during the operation, while the former minister was said to have fled the country days earlier. The search reportedly extended to his residence in Bayelsa State.
Although there has been no official statement from the military regarding the raid, insiders described the operation as a “targeted response” to intelligence pointing to possible political involvement in the alleged coup discussions.
The Defence Intelligence Agency has reportedly detained at least 16 senior officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force over the matter. Family members of the officers claim they have been held for weeks without communication or formal charges.
Security experts have raised concerns over the DIA’s direct handling of the case instead of allowing the respective military services to manage their personnel internally; a move some analysts describe as “politically motivated.”