Nigerian President Bola Tinubu changed the chiefs of the country’s top military units, days after reports of an alleged coup plot became public, setting off a fit of unease in Africa’s largest democracy.
The Oct. 24 announcement replacing the heads of the defense, army, naval, and air force services came about three weeks after the Nigerian army said that some 16 officers were under investigation “over issues of indiscipline and breach of service regulations,” describing it as part of a “routine military exercise.” Two weeks later, local media described the officers’ arrest as being linked to an attempted coup. The army disputed the reports of a coup plot, but that has not stopped Tinubu’s swift shake-up of the top brass.
Tinubu’s predecessor Muhammadu Buhari sacked service chiefs in 2021. At the time, it was regarded as an overdue response to a perceived lack of meaningful action to quell security crises around the country.