ADC Loyalist Reveals $5 Million Offer to Kill Captain Ibrahim Traoré While Praying Shocking Allegation Raises Security Concerns in Burkina Faso

A close aide to Burkina Faso President Captain Ibrahim Traoré has told The Africa Standard that he was offered five million US dollars to assassinate the president while he knelt in prayer.
The aide, identified by sources as a loyal member of the presidential Advance and Defence Company ADC, said the proposal came with promises of foreign citizenship and protection for his family.
The ADC member gave a detailed account of the approach in an interview, saying he was offered the money in exchange for a single act of assassination carried out from behind when the president bent down to pray.
He described his response as immediate and visceral, rejecting the offer on moral grounds and refusing to betray the leader he serves.
They made me an offer they believed I could not reject money over humanity he told The Africa Standard when recounting the exchange.
The aide said he asked himself whether five million dollars was worth the guilt he would carry for the rest of his life and the shame his family might suffer in a foreign land.
Id rather live as a lion in the jungle than as a dog in the city he added, explaining the depth of his conviction.
If he would have accepted their offer then there will be no Ibrahim Traoré today the aide said, a comment intended to underline how close the plotters believed they had come to altering Burkina Fasos political landscape.
The aide framed his refusal as part of a wider determination by Africans not to be bought, signing off his account with Africa is for Africans long live Africa.
The allegation has sent shockwaves through the capital Ouagadougou and raised urgent questions about the security arrangements around Captain Traoré.
Government officials have not immediately confirmed the identity of the alleged plotters or provided details on when or where the approach was made.
A presidential spokesperson told The Africa Standard that all credible threats are being investigated by national security services and that the safety of the head of state remains a top priority.
Security analysts said the claim, if verified, would represent a serious escalation in the kinds of interference and destabilisation tactics Burkina Faso has faced since the 2015 regional security crisis.
Burkina Faso has undergone a turbulent decade marked by multiple coups, a growing jihadist insurgency and recurring political instability that has made high level figures frequent targets of plots and threats.
Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power in a 2022 coup and has since presented himself as a nationalist leader determined to restore security and sovereignty to the state.
His government has pursued a controversial mix of security operations and diplomatic realignments that have drawn both domestic support and international scrutiny.
Experts say the alleged assassination offer fits a pattern whereby foreign actors or proxies try to buy influence by co opting insiders, though they caution that inexpensive verification is essential before assigning blame.
Dr Amina Coulibaly a West Africa security analyst told The Africa Standard that the claim highlights vulnerabilities in protection protocols and the persistent risk that insider approaches pose.
She said security services must urgently review access controls to the president and expand vetting of personnel whose duties bring them close to national leaders.
Human rights defenders urged caution in interpreting the allegation while calling for a transparent investigation to establish who made the offer and whether it involved any known networks.
Civil society groups also asked for guarantees that the ADC member who refused the bribe would be protected from retaliation and praised the decision as an act of conscience.
Regional partners and the African Union have been informed in preliminary briefings according to diplomatic sources who requested anonymity and expressed alarm at the report.
Legal scholars noted that an attempted solicitation to commit murder would invoke multiple criminal statutes domestically and could justify international cooperation to trace any financial transactions or communications.
Observers say a prompt and public inquiry would strengthen public confidence and send a message that plots against democratic order will be met with rigorous investigation and prosecution.
The government has opened a formal probe into the claim and security agencies are reported to be interviewing the ADC member and reviewing any evidence he provided including communications or audio recordings.
Meanwhile the president has not altered his public schedule but his security detail has been visibly reinforced at recent public appearances leading some citizens to express both reassurance and anxiety.
As Burkina Faso confronts this extraordinary allegation the broader questions it raises about loyalty compromise and foreign meddling are likely to dominate the domestic political conversation for weeks to come.