Victor Efeizomor
1 February 2002
A Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Mr Festus Keyamo, has alerted the nation over a threat to overthrow the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo by officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
"I have just received a bundle of unsigned papers running into about 30 pages purportedly written by members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the police giving the Federal Government up till March 10, 2002, to address their grievances or face a "mutiny" or "revolution" or "change of government."
In a two-page statement by Keyamo and circulated to all the media houses, the lawyer said the group also sent similar letters to Chief Gani Fawehinmi and Mr Femi Falana, saying the implications of getting wind of a violent change in government and not making it known could be implicatory.
In an apparent reference to the last Sunday's bomb explosions at the Ikeja Military Cantonment in Lagos that led to the loss of hundreds of lives, Keyamo said it was indicative of a sabotage from the rank and file of the Nigerian Army.
"Because of the recent bomb explosion in Lagos and the lack of explanation to it we might have here seen a clue to what might really have happened."
He said that "because of my belief, and I am sure Nigerians resolve to jealously protect our nascent democracy, I will do everything within my power to fight any force that will want to truncate it," and called on the Federal Government to urgently "consider it necessary that the problems of these disenchanted officers and men are addressed."
A letter, emanating from the office of the Commissioner of Police C.I.B. Force Headquarters, Obalende, signed by Deputy Superintendent of Police, S. Aghire, acknowledge the "planned violent revolution" scheduled to take place in Abuja and all the state capitals.
The police document, which was attached to Keyamo's press statement, gave the grievances, of the armed forces as "that many of them remain on one rank for many years without promotion.
They alleged that there were lance corporals and corporals who had served more than 20 years without promotion while their colleagues with godfathers enjoyed regular promotions."
They alleged that the anti-corruption crusade of the government was designed to oppress the poor, adding that the Inspector-General of Police (IG) had violated Section 39 of the Police Regulations which they claimed did not allow him recruit qualified children of the rich and those with godfathers from outside the Force.
The document alleged that the disgruntled officers had perfected plans to carry out a violent revolution with a list of persons to be arrested or killed complied including the President, Vice-President, Senate President, Deputy Senate President and Speaker of Speaker, House of Representatives.
It alleged that the group planned to release some people held in detention and to form an interim government adding that they had recruited 250 personnel from the Army, Navy, Airforce and Police for the operations. Keyamo said he had written to the Chief of Army Staff, the Inspector-General of Police and the Head of State Security Services (SSS) over the development.
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