Coup: How New CDS, CDI Survived as Tinubu Pulls The Plug on Gen. Musa, Other Service Chiefs

By Molly Kilete

More details emerged last night on why the Service Chiefs were removed by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Saturday Sun was also hinted on how the new Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede and the Chief of IDefence Intelligence, Major-General E.A.P Undiendeye were not axed.

It was gathered that President Tinubu’s meeting with Service Chiefs on Friday, at the Presidential Villa was for the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, to submit a report on the aborted coup plot to the president.

However the meeting took another dimension when the president announced to the former service chiefs his intentions to clear the top for other senior officers to move up.

The decision, according to Saturday Sun investigation, might not be unconnected to the news of a recent coup plot allegedly aborted by a powerful intelligence team led by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Saturday Sun gathered that the news was shocking to the Service Chiefs and that the report on the coup plot, which was supposed to have been submitted to the president, was put on hold.

It was gathered that the newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Oluyede, would be submitting the report at a latter date.

Saturday Sun reliably gathered that but for the coup plot by some elements in the military, the Service Chiefs would have still remained in office.

A top military source told the newspaper that intelligence report made available to the president and advice from security experts on the coup made the president to change his mind.

It was also gathered that the newly appointed CDS and the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), survived because of the role they played to demobilise the plot and get all the culprits arrested.

Saturday Sun also gathered that although the president has a very soft spot for the former CDS, General Musa, he had to be replaced to create room for a junior officer to take over from him.

It was gathered that security report on the role played by the DIA boss came to play when his fate was being decided.

The DIA boss, it was gathered, received a lot of commendation from the President, which made him to retain his position.

For the CDS, it was gathered that the president would have still left him in office because of the trust and confidence he has in him. “However, leaving General Musa, who is a member of the 39 Regular Course in office and appointing a member of 40 Regular Course as Chief of Navy Staff and Chief of Air Staff (CAS), and a member of 41 Regular Course as Chief of Army Staff respectively would lead to massive retirements of officers from service.

A top military source noted that it was for this reason that the president had to change his mind.

With the appointment of the new service chiefs, there is bound to be premature retirement from service of officers, especially from the Nigerian Army which will be most hit.

(Sun, excluding reworked headline)