Renowned human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, has criticised the Nigerian military for failing to apologise to Nigerians after initially dismissing reports of a coup plot, only to later confirm that an alleged plan to overthrow the government was uncovered.
Falana made the remarks on Tuesday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he expressed concern over what he described as the military’s lack of accountability and dismissive attitude towards the public.
According to him, the military owed Nigerians an apology after reversing its earlier position. “Yesterday, the military authorities ought to have apologised to Nigerians. People in authority must learn to take us seriously as a people,” Falana said.
His comments followed the military’s announcement on Monday that some officers would be subjected to a military judicial panel over the alleged coup plot, more than three months after 16 officers were arrested for acts of indiscipline and violations of service regulations.
In October 2025, the military had denied any link between the cancellation of the 2025 Independence Day parade and a coup plot, describing such reports as false, malicious and capable of creating unnecessary tension and distrust among Nigerians.
Reacting to the military’s latest stance, Falana accused the authorities of misleading the public. He argued that if investigations later revealed that the matter went beyond indiscipline, the military should have openly acknowledged the error and apologised.
“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 said.
The senior advocate described the failure to apologise as unacceptable, adding that reversing such a significant public position without an apology was not honourable. He, however, said he still hopes the military would apologise to Nigerians.
Falana also questioned the decision to subject the detained officers to a court martial, noting that allegations related to a coup plot amount to treason or treasonable felony, offences which, he said, can only be tried before a Federal or State High Court.
He further condemned what he described as the denial of access to legal counsel for the detained officers, insisting that they are entitled to meet with their lawyers, family members and medical doctors. Falana disclosed that up to 42 persons have been arrested in connection with the matter and called for the immediate release of those who have not been formally charged.
