00:00But first, a group of Nigerian officers are set to be tried for allegedly plotting to overthrow
00:05President Bullitt Tenubu. When the 16 were arrested last year, the rumors of a coup were
00:10officially denied at the time. Nigeria has seen several military power grabs in the past,
00:16but has been under democratic rule for almost 30 years. It's currently leading regional efforts
00:21to stop military takeovers in West Africa, but now has to turn the spotlight onto its own
00:27military. Our Sam Olokoya breaks it all down for us.
00:31Military spokesman General Samayla Uba said after a comprehensive investigation,
00:37some arrested officers have been identified with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government.
00:43The military says those suspected of involvement in the coup plot will face a court-martial.
00:49It is the first confirmation from the Nigerian army that some officers have been arrested
00:54for plotting to overthrow the government. Both the military and the Nigerian government
00:59denied reports in October last year that some officers have been arrested in connection with
01:05the coup plot. Since independence from Britain in 1960, Nigeria's democratic process has been
01:12repeatedly halted by military coups until 1999, when the country returned to stable democratic rule.
01:19Reports of the coup plot come in the wake of recent military takeovers in some other West African countries
01:26like Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Nigeria is leading the regional body ECOWAS in effort to restore
01:35democratic rule in the affected countries. Last December, Nigeria deployed its Air Force planes
01:42to quell a coup attempt in neighboring Republic of Benin. A military takeover in Nigeria will
01:49substantially weaken the country's led regional effort to stop coups in West Africa or to return
01:54countries currently under military rule to democratic governments.
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