By Austin Ogwuda
…”People in authority must learn to take us seriously as a people”
….as Defence Headquarters releases the names of 16 indicted Officers for court martial
Vociferous Human Rights Lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), says the Military authorities should have apologised to Nigerians after reversing an earlier denial concerning the attempted coup plot in October last year.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Falana said the latest admission of the coup plot and planned arraignment of the indicted alleged coupists contradicted their (Military) earlier position, which showed that the public had been misled.
His words:
“Yesterday, the Military authorities ought to have apologised to Nigerians. People in authority must learn to take us seriously as a people.
“If you had made a statement three months ago that there was no coup plot and, in the course of your investigation, discovered that the matter went beyond indiscipline, you ought to have apologised to the Nigerian people”.
He argued that the legal framework for prosecuting the detained officers had also been misunderstood.
According to him, “If you are talking of a coup or an attempt to overthrow an elected government, you either charge them with treason or treasonable felony, and that can only be tried before a Federal or State High Court”.
He frowned at the continued detention of the officers without access to legal counsel, family members and doctors, insisting that such rights were guaranteed under the Constitution.
He said up to 42 people were arrested in connection with the matter and urged the authorities to release those who had not been formally indicted.
*President Bola Tinubu
Behold the names of 16 indicted Military Officers who wanted to allegedly topple Tinubu’s govt
…. due to face military court martial soon
The detained coup plotters for trial, are:
1. Brigadier General Musa Abubakar Sadiq (Nasarawa, 44th Regular Course)
2. Colonel M. A. Ma’aji (Niger, 47th Regular Course)
3. Lieutenant Colonel S. Bappah (Bauchi, 56th Regular Course)
4. Lieutenant Colonel A. A. Hayatu (Kaduna, 56th Regular Course)
5. Lieutenant Colonel Dangnan (Plateau, 56th Regular Course)
6. Lieutenant Colonel M. Almakura (Nasarawa, 56th Regular Course)
7. Major A. J. Ibrahim (Gombe, 56th Regular Course)
8. Major M. M. Jiddah (Katsina, 56th Regular Course)
9. Major M. A. Usman (Federal Capital Territory, 60th Regular Course)
10. Major D. Yusuf (Gombe, 59th Regular Course)
11. Major I. Dauda (Jigawa, DSSC 38)
12. Captain I. Bello (DSSC 43)
13. Captain A. A. Yusuf
14. Lieutenant S. S. Felix (DSSC)
15. Lieutenant Commander D. B. Abdullahi (Nigerian Navy)
16. Squadron Leader S. B. Adamu (Nigerian Air Force).
