By Obinna Uballa
The Nigerian military has launched a high-level investigation into an alleged coup plot involving about 20 officers accused of planning to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.
According to multiple security sources, the officers, among them a brigadier general and a colonel, were arrested in late September following intelligence that they were holding secret meetings and expressing deep dissatisfaction with the current administration.
Sahara Reporters first broke the story, which has since been corroborated by PREMIUM TIMES and other credible sources. “The report is true,” a senior military insider confirmed. “More officers have been picked up since the initial arrests.”
The detained officers allegedly planned a “bloody putsch” in which several top government officials were marked for assassination. “They had tentatively picked a date for the coup and were continuing consultations when the plot leaked,” the source revealed.
The disclosure reportedly triggered panic within government circles, especially after military high command had repeatedly assured Tinubu of the Armed Forces’ loyalty to civil authority.
“Out of that panic, the government cancelled the National Independence Day parade on October 1, because it was a military ceremony and they did not want to take any risk,” the officer added.
Panel of Inquiry
An investigative panel has since been constituted by Defence Headquarters to probe what officials described as “indiscipline and breach of service regulations.”
The panel reportedly includes representatives from the army, navy, air force, police, and the Department of State Services (DSS). Sources said the body has been meeting for over a week, though the venues of its sittings remain undisclosed.
While the Defence Headquarters has not directly confirmed a coup attempt, its spokesperson, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, acknowledged on 4 October that “sixteen officers were being investigated for indiscipline and breach of service regulations.”
However, senior military officials privately told PREMIUM TIMES that the investigation is linked to an alleged plan to depose the Tinubu administration. “The intelligence pointed to plans to destabilise the government,” one source said. “Some officers were reportedly holding meetings to discuss a possible takeover.”
The arrests came amid public frustration over worsening economic hardship and followed a wave of military coups across Africa – the latest being in Madagascar – making it the ninth on the continent since 2020.
Security Measures and Discontent
Apart from a brief Guard of Honour at the airport, no major military parade has taken place since the alleged plot was uncovered. The suspects are being detained at an undisclosed military facility in Abuja.
Preliminary investigations, according to Gusau, suggest that the detained officers’ discontent was partly driven by “career stagnation and repeated failure in promotion examinations.”
“Upon completion of investigation, indicted officers will face the full military disciplinary process in accordance with established procedures,” Gusau said, pledging that the military remains committed to professionalism and loyalty to democratic governance.
