Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has urged the federal government to address with clarity, reports of an alleged coup plot and the arrests said to have followed, arguing that silence is fuelling public distrust.

Speaking on Channels Television?s Politics Today on Wednesday, Falana said the government?s denial of any attempted coup contradicts information already circulating in the public domain about arrests of military officers.

?A lot of conspiracy theories are going on,? he said. ?Government has said there was no attempted coup. But it has not been able to dismiss reports of the arrest of alleged coup plotters. The government must be more honest with Nigerians if this happened or if it was going to happen.?

Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria, said transparency is essential to mobilising citizens against anti-democratic forces.

?If you are honest with Nigerians, you can rally them to fight anti-democratic tendencies,? he added. ?The government must go back to the drawing table and address the underlying problems.?

He warned that widespread economic hardship creates conditions that coup plotters can exploit, saying mass discontent has historically served as an enabling factor.

Responding to concerns that the matter is too sensitive for public disclosure, Falana insisted that details already in circulation confirm that arrests were made.

?Arrests have been made. This is being reported,? he said. ?Information has leaked out. So, the government must react to those reports one way or the other.?

Military sources continue to suggest that investigations are ongoing. Initial reports indicated that 16 officers were detained in the first week of October, with two others said to have escaped the country. More than 30 personnel are now believed to be in custody following additional arrests prompted by ?useful statements? extracted from early suspects.

Contrary to earlier speculation, the reported plot was not scheduled for October 1. Military arrests reportedly began days later.

The Defence Headquarters has not confirmed the existence of a coup attempt. It said the interrogation of 16 officers is part of a ?routine internal process? to maintain discipline within the armed forces.

Falana stressed that beyond clarification, the government must address insecurity and ensure that all citizens are protected as mandated by the constitution. (BusinessDay, but headline rejigged)

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