Military Rule Worse Than Current Civilians; What Nigeria Needs Is Revolution – Sowore
Military Rule Worse Than Current Civilians; What Nigeria Needs Is Revolution – Sowore
He noted that some senior Nigerian soldiers recently arrested for an alleged coup attempt had begun hatching the plot as far back as 2024.
Former presidential candidate and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has declared that he “has seen the worst form of military rule” adding that revolution is the answer to the current misgovernance and not a coup.
He noted that some senior Nigerian soldiers recently arrested for an alleged coup attempt had begun hatching the plot as far back as 2024.
Sowore made the revelation on Thursday during an interview with News Central, where he linked the government’s harsh response to the #EndBadGovernance protests to intelligence about the coup plot.
According to him, security agencies intensified their crackdown on protesters last year because authorities were aware that some officers were allegedly planning to overthrow the government.
“It’s not a rumour. There was a coup plot and people were rounded up,” Sowore said.
“The revolution came from SaharaReporters, a newspaper I founded, and you know their reaction. They sponsored trolls and attacked everyone who revealed this.”
He explained that during the #EndBadGovernance movement, the government became alarmed after seeing Russian flags displayed by some demonstrators, interpreting it as a signal that external forces might be encouraging a military takeover — especially at a time when several Sahel countries had fallen under military rule.
Sowore stated that while the coup did not take place in 2024, authorities continued to monitor suspected officers until 2025, when some arrests were eventually made.
He described the officers involved as disgruntled elements within the Nigerian Army who believed the country was on the wrong path.
“A lot of them are disgruntled officers in the Nigerian Army who felt that things are not going the way they should. But let me make it very clear, I can never support military rule again.”
However, the activist strongly opposed any return to military rule, warning that such regimes would only worsen Nigeria’s situation.
“I’ve seen the worst military rule in my lifetime. Nobody can come and tell me, fellow Nigeria, that we know things are wrong. These military guys that are planning to take over, that are planning coup, will be worse than the civilians we have.
“What we should do, and I’ve said this, anybody who loves Nigeria, it’s all of us to take on the system at once. After revolution, we get another government. All these army generals we’re seeing, colonels a lot, they’re the one reason why there’s insecurity in the country.”
Sowore, however, blamed senior army officers for contributing to the country’s insecurity, insisting that many of them had failed in their duty to protect Nigerians.
