The Nigeria Army has issued a stern warning and vows to go after opposition calling for the overthrow of the civilian government of President Bola Tinubu.
Some social media influencers, mostly supporters to those that lost the 2023 presidential election, have been calling for a military coup in Nigeria, a country in which the military vacated power in 1999.
The opposition has accused President of lacking initiative to end the current economic hardship.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Christopher Musa, said on Thursday in Abuja that those making such insinuations do not mean well for Nigeria.
Musa said the Armed Forces would continue to do the needful to protect the country’s democracy.
He spoke after he commissioned the main entrance of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army and Officers Transit Accommodation, both at the Division Headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
“Whoever is making that call (coup) does not love Nigeria.
“We want to make it very clear that the Armed Forces of Nigeria are here to protect democracy. We all want democracy and we do better under democracy.
“And so we will continue to support democracy. And any of those ones that are calling for anything other than Democracy are evil people and I think they don’t mean well for Nigeria.
“And they should be very careful because the law will come after them. We can see that with democracy a lot of things are happening in Nigeria. Yes we are going through trying periods, I mean in life nothing is hundred percent.”
He emphasized that what is needed is for citizens to be patient and give their support to the government to succeed and put the enemies of state to shame.
“Everybody goes through a trying period in life, and it is what you do with them. You can see the government putting efforts to ensure that we come out better. And it is when you go through difficulties and come out better you will really appreciate what it is to build a nation. And so we are going through our trying period, but I can assure Nigerians that it will get better.
“All we need is for all of us to put our hands together to ensure that we defeat those enemies of the government, those enemies of this country that don’t want us to succeed.
We will surely succeed and the Armed Forces are here to support the Government in ensuring that we develop, we succeed and to see that there is peace in Nigeria.”
He acknowledged the nation’s struggles, but said they were temporary bumps on the democratic road. “We are going through trying periods,” he conceded, “but I can assure Nigerians that it will get better.”
“All we need is all of us to put our hands together to ensure that we defeat those enemies of the government, those enemies of this country that don’t want us to succeed,” he declared.