Nigeria’s military has sought to allay fears that it is plotting a coup, saying it remains “totally loyal” to President Muhammadu Buhari and civilian rule.
Its statement came amid ongoing rumours that some army officers were planning to seize power.
The rumour spread last week after the chief of army staff, Lt-Gen Tukur Buratai, warned solders to steer clear of politics and said he had received information that “some individuals have been approaching some officers and soldiers for undisclosed political reasons”.
At a press conference, defence spokesman Major General John Enenche said that “all fears about a coup should be allayed”.
Lt-Gen Buratai’s had merely performed his responsibility to caution officers on a “routine basis to conform to the ethics of the military”, he added.
Lt-Gen Buratai reshuffled the upper echelons of the military earlier this month. Nigeria facing numerous security challenges, including an insurgency by militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
Mr Buhari, 74, is currently in the UK on medical leave. His deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, is servng as acting president.
Military rule ended in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous state, in 1999.
