A new report has emerged that a retired Army General, Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, has been arrested alongside serving military officers and civilians accused of plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government.
Gana, a Niger State indigene and the Danmagayaki of Nupe, was reportedly arrested about a week after his son, Lieutenant Colonel Sadiq Ibrahim-Gana, was detained by military intelligence operatives.
The officer, who was the Commanding Officer of the 115 Battalion in Askira, Borno State, is among the 35 military personnel currently in detention over the alleged coup plot.
According to military sources, the retired general is believed to have close ties with Colonel Alhassan Ma’aji, described by investigators as the alleged mastermind of the foiled plot.
“A retired Army General, Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, was arrested. He is said to be the one who helped the alleged mastermind of the coup, Colonel Alhassan Ma’aji, gain admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy in August 1995,” a military source told SaharaReporters.
The source added that although no direct role was traced to the retired officer beyond his relationship with Ma’aji, investigators believed he may have been aware of the plot.
The same source said Lt. Col. Ibrahim-Gana was arrested despite being actively deployed against insurgents in the North-East.
“Nothing was traced to him as well, as he was busy fighting Boko Haram in Borno, but they still believed he had a link with the coup plotters,” the source said.
The crackdown has also swept up several civilians, including mechanics accused of repairing vehicles allegedly used by the plotters.
“We even have mechanics picked up for allegedly repairing some vehicles. A Julius Berger staff was also arrested. Many innocent people who know nothing about the issue are currently in detention,” the source alleged.
The latest confirmation of the coup attempt by the Defence Headquarters has created panic in Nigeria over what is now described as a threat to Nigeria’s democracy that has existed since 1999, when the military handed over power back to civilians.