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Sowore: Military Government Will Be Worse Than Civilian Rule, Only Revolution Can Save Nigeria
The crackdown during #EndBadGovernance was partly because they knew some people were planning the coup.
Ikeja, Lagos State– Former presidential candidate and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has revealed that the recent arrests of senior military officers in connection with an alleged coup attempt trace back to plans that began as early as 2024.
Sowore made the revelation on Thursday during an interview with News Central, where he alleged that the Nigerian government’s heavy-handed response to the #EndBadGovernance protests was influenced by intelligence reports about a brewing coup within the military.
According to him, “It’s not a rumor. There was a coup plot and people were rounded up. The crackdown during #EndBadGovernance was partly because they knew some people were planning the coup.”
Sowore, who founded SaharaReporters, said the government became particularly nervous when Russian flags were spotted during the protests, fearing that such symbolism could inspire military intervention — especially as several Sahel countries at the time had fallen under military regimes.
“Their major grasp was that there were Russian flags on the streets and this would promote a coup. It was a time when all these Sahel countries had been taken over by military jackboots. So, they started that around 2024 from what I heard,” he explained.
The activist added that while the coup did not materialize at the time, the authorities have continued to monitor the suspected officers. “A lot of them are disgruntled officers in the Nigerian Army who felt things were not going the way they should,” he said.
However, Sowore made it clear that he remains opposed to any form of military takeover.
“Let me make it very clear: I can never support military rule again. I’ve seen the worst of it in my lifetime. These military guys planning to take over will be worse than the civilians we have,” he stated.
He emphasised that meaningful change in Nigeria can only come through a people-driven revolution and not through the barrel of a gun.
“Anybody who loves Nigeria must take on the system collectively. After a revolution, we don’t need another government in uniform,” he added.
