Femi Falana (SAN), yesterday urged the
Nigerian government to arrest those
planning to overthrow President
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration
and try them for treasonable felony
before it’s too late. Recall that the Chief of Army Staff
(COAS), Nigerian Army, Lieutenant
General TY Buratai, last week said he received information that some
individuals were approaching some
officers and soldiers for undisclosed political reasons. Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka
Usman, Director Army Public Relations,
said on the basis of that, Buratai “has
warned such persons to desist from
these acts”. Falana, however, warned that the
matter must not be treated with levity
because of the weighty consequences. He spoke in Ilorin, Kwara State, at the
weekend in a paper titled “Politics,
Leadership And Accountability: The
Role Of The People” delivered at a
colloquium on Kwara@50 organised
by The Movement For Genuine Change.
Falana said: “The political class should
stop playing into the hands of
potential coup plotters. While the
decision of the Army chief to alert the
nation of the devilish plot is
appreciated, the authorities should proceed to fish out the coup plotters
and their civilian collaborators with a
view to trying them for treasonable
felony. “Notwithstanding the glaring
shortcomings of the fragile democratic
process, the people should be allowed
to take advantage of the democratic
structures to take their political destiny
in their own hands.”