Army investigates allegation of plan to topple government

The Nigerian Army has described an allegation that some army officers were planning to topple the democratic government in Nigeria as baseless and most unfortunate.

Col. Sani Usman, the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, said in a statement on Thursday that the army had begun investigation into the allegation as well as the group, Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF), that made it.

``The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to another campaign of calumny and distraction by faceless criminal gang of economic saboteurs that hide under the aegis of Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF) alleging that some officers of the Nigerian Army approached them for support to overthrow our duly elected present democratic government.

``This is baseless and most unfortunate allegation that existed in the warped minds of the originators of such weighty allegation.

''The Nigerian Army wishes to state that this is not true and hereby distances itself from this weighty allegation,'' Usman said.

``We also see this speculation as a dangerous distraction to our effort in fighting insurgency and other criminal elements in the country.

``The Nigerian Army is investigating those behind the dangerous insinuation in order to unravel the real motive behind it,'' Usman said.

He said: ``The Nigerian Army will like to send a strong and an unequivocal warning to those speculating a coup by the Nigerian Army against the government to desist forthwith.

''We will like to state in clear terms that we are a product of democracy and a focused professional institution and will have nothing to do with such abomination and heinous crime.’’

He said ``the army is the greatest beneficiary of democracy and therefore cannot ever contemplate any anti-democratic misadventure, certainly not under the command of the present Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen.

``Rather, we see this type of dangerous speculation as a declaration of war to destabilise the present government by these unscrupulous elements.''

Usman reiterated the Nigerian Army's loyalty to the civil administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

``We will like to reiterate our unalloyed loyalty to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and defense of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

''We will also like to reaffirm our unconditional support and obedience to civil authority.

``We wish to further assure Nigerians and, indeed, all peace loving people that the Nigerian Army and indeed its personnel will never be involved in such terrible misadventure.

``We wish to further add that no matter how long it takes, we will track and find out those behind these insinuations and bring them to justice,'' he said.