FG reacts to coup rumour

The Federal Government on Tuesday dismissed the rumour of a coup in the country.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, in a statement issued by his media aide, Rabiu Ibrahim in Abuja, said the report was unequivocally false, and a heinous act of disinformation.

He urged Nigerians to ignore the report aimed at sowing the seeds of discord in the country.

The minister stressed that the report was the figment of the imagination of detractors who are determined to undermine the present administration and destabilise the country.

Idris said the government would not be distracted or intimidated into abandoning the ongoing reforms aimed at rejuvenating the country’s economy.

He said: “It is now evident that some desperate individuals have resorted to publishing fake news to erode public trust in the government and sow the seed of discord in the country.

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“The government will exercise its rights within the laws to contain rogue actions to destabilise national security and the nation’s hard-earned democracy.”

The calls for military putsch may not be unconnected with the current economic hardship in the country.

The President Bola Tinubu administration has come under severe criticism over the economic hardship occasioned by the rising prices of food items and other costs of living, with many pointing to the removal of fuel subsidy and other policies initiated by the government as causes of the problems.

The military had last week warned those calling for a coup in the country to desist.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, who addressed journalists in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said those calling for a coup are enemies of Nigeria and the law would catch up with them soon.