Retired Army General arrested  over alleged plot to overthrow Tinubu’s govt

A retired Army General, Mohammed Gana, has been reportedly arrested alongside serving military officers and civilians over allegations of a plot to forcibly overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu.

According to a report by Sahara Reporters, Gana, who hails from Niger State, is the Danmagayaki of Nupe.

According to sources, the retired General was taken into custody about a week after his son, Lieutenant Colonel Sadiq Ibrahim-Gana, was detained by military intelligence operatives. Ibrahim-Gana is among 35 military officers currently being held over allegations of plotting a coup to end Nigeria’s democratic governance.

The Lieutenant Colonel, who served as the Commanding Officer of 115 Battalion in Askira, Borno State, is listed as number nine on an exclusive list of detainees obtained by SaharaReporters.

“A retired Army General, Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, was also arrested. He is said to be the one who helped the alleged mastermind of the coup, Colonel Alhassan Ma’aji, get admission into NDA in August 1995. Being Ma’aji’s godfather, they believed he was aware of the plan, nothing else was linked to him apart from that,” a military source told SaharaReporters.

“Also, the retired General’s son, who is presently a Lieutenant Colonel, was also arrested and has been in detention as well. Nothing was traced to him as well as he was busy fighting Boko Haram in Borno, but they still believed he has a link with the coup plotters.

“We have many other civilians, including mechanics, picked up for allegedly repairing some vehicles for the said plotters as well. Even a Julius Berger staff – just to show you the so-called DIA operatives aren’t intelligent as they claimed – and many innocent people who know nothing about the issue are in detention.”

The online newspaper had earlier exclusively reported the arrest of a police officer alongside military personnel accused of planning to overthrow the President.

The officer, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim from Taraba State, was reportedly arrested in Abuja by operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and remains in the agency’s custody.

Among the 35 detained military officers are an Army Brigadier General, two Colonels, five Lieutenant Colonels, one Wing Commander, eight Majors, one Lieutenant Commander, two Squadron Leaders, five Captains, and one Lieutenant.

Also being held are 10 non-commissioned officers, including a Warrant Officer, five Sergeants, one Corporal, and two Lance Corporals. One of the detained Army Captains, A. Yusuf, is from Osun State, while Squadron Leader Zuzu, a senior Air Force officer, is from Bayelsa State. The remaining 33 detainees are from the northern part of the country, including three officers from the Federal Capital Territory.

Two of the officers — a Brigadier General and a Lieutenant Colonel — are from Nasarawa State, while six, including three non-commissioned officers, are from Niger State. Three are from Katsina State, including a Colonel who was undergoing a course in a North African country.

Three Lieutenant Colonels involved in the case are from Kaduna, Plateau, and Kano States. Two Majors are from Gombe State, while another is from Bauchi. Others hail from Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Taraba, Yobe, Kogi, Sokoto, and Adamawa States.

(SAHARA REPORTERS)