The Niger Delta Youths Solidarity Movement (NDYSM) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore stories of an alleged looming coup by the Nigerian military.
The president of the NDYSM, Prince Kpokpogri, while addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, June 24, said the stories were mere rumours made up by some oil thieves and miscreants in the Niger Delta region.
Kpokpogri also alleged that some of the recently sacked army officers have contributed to the security breech in the region.
He said: “If the Nigerian state is still in doubt we only need to take a look at the change in the strategy being used to rustle feathers in the land.
“The stolen public funds seem to have found its way into the hands of groups that are now staging strong media attacks on not just key institutions in the military but also the management of its services and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari
“We believe these characters now dread the presence of the Nigerian military particularly the navy and the army who protect oil facilities from crude oil thieves and their agents and therefore resort to sow the seed of discord by peddling the coup story around.
“While we are mostly focusing on our region, we have observed that the same pattern of catalysing instability by questioning the credibility of President Buhari, tarnishing the standing and loyalty of the military and questioning its loyalty to the President and the nation have been on the rise.
“In view of the bad light in which the militants with the active backing of the ex-military officers sought to cast the entire Niger Delta region, we deem it imperative to warn them to stop blackmailing the institution of the military. We do not wish that their bluff snowballs into something else.
“These ex-military officers must know that there are other ways of seeking redemption in the aftermath of the disgraceful and unbefitting end to what should have been their illustrious careers. There is still time to rethink and act differently.
“We urge President Buhari not to surrender the war against corruption to criminal elements simply because they are fantasizing about a phantom coup that the military has denied anyway.
“The coup story is definitely a strategy that was hurriedly thrown up when they saw that they cannot dare Nigeria’s military might.”
“Their ploy to force President Buhari to decimate the military through a purge to be triggered by the allegation of a coup has definitely failed before they have implemented it. Nigerians must make sure they continue to fail by constantly exposing their lies,” he added.