Niger Republic’s Interior Minister, Hassoumi Massaoudou has defended Thursday’s arrest of nine military officers over an alleged attempted coup.
He said in a press conference on Sunday in the nation’s capital, Niamey that the alleged coup plotters were nabbed after a month-long surveillance on them.
“Nine officers identified as responsible for the attempted coup have been arrested and will be presented before a military court,” Al Jazeera reported Massaoudou as saying.
The minister said the arrest was made possible by loyal soldiers who informed authorities of their plot.
The country’s president, Mahamadou Issoufou, 63, said on Thursday that the alleged coup plotters planned to use aerial power to oust him.
Issoufou is seeking re-election in February 2016, having come to power in 2011, a year after a military coup.
The opposition in the country have however disputed claims of a coup, accusing the government of not providing evidence to substantiate its claims.
Also, they believe the coup ploy is an attempt by the government to create tension in the country and manipulate the political climate before the election.
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