The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested a social-media user, identified as Innocent Chukwuma (handle: @TheAgroman), on allegations that he posted messages advocating for a military coup in Nigeria.
According to the DSS, Chukwuma used his X account to publish statements such as:
“A coup in Nigeria is needed. Dispose of APC, suspend the Nigerian Government, and join the AES. That is all we need now.”
He further wrote: “It will happen eventually. Nigerians, the military needs your support now! Only them can save this country.”
In another post, Chukwuma was quoted as saying:
“The bastard in Aso Rock has basically sold this country to the West, and they run our intelligence apparatus. Only the military can reset this country. Support them.”
A security source identified as Zagazola Makama told SaharaReporters that Chukwuma was traced and arrested in Oyigbo, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and is currently cooperating with DSS investigators.
Legal experts have weighed in. Barrister Tunde Oladipo, a constitutional lawyer, noted that “calls for a coup are criminal under Nigerian law, constituting incitement against a democratically elected government.” Meanwhile, social-media reaction has been mixed: some users branded Chukwuma’s posts as treasonable felony, while others argued the arrest raises concerns about freedom of expression.
This arrest comes amid further security-deepened developments: SaharaReporters previously reported that at least 16 senior military officers, drawn from the Army, Navy and Air Force, had been detained by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) as part of an alleged coup plot, and that the home of former governor and minister Timipre Sylva was raided by a special military team.
The DSS has yet to issue a full public statement, and investigations are ongoing.
