Coup Plotters Planned To Shoot Me, Says Defence Minister

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, has said coup plotters who were arrested in 2025 planned to shoot him in their bid to unseat the government.

He said the coup was planned even before President Bola Tinubu was sworn into office.

He also clarified that the attempt had nothing to do with dissatisfaction over the current administration.

THE WHISTLER reports that In October, the military arrested sixteen officers over acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.

However, last week, authorities said “findings have identified a number of the officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government, which is inconsistent with the ethics, values, and professional standards required of members of the AFN.”

“Accordingly, those with cases to answer will be formally arraigned before an appropriate military judicial panel to face trial in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and other applicable service regulations,” the Director, Major General, Samaila Uba, said in a statement.

Several top government officials and other prominent leaders were allegedly pencilled to be killed in the coup attempt as well.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Musa disclosed that intelligence gathered by the military showed that the plot began around May 29, 2023, shortly after Tinubu was declared winner of the presidential election.

According to him, the suspects were merely waiting for what they believed was the “right moment” to act.

Explaining further, he disclosed that the coup plot was led by a disgruntled colonel who failed to meet the criteria for promotion and subsequently mobilised other officers who felt aggrieved over postings and career progression.

He also revealed that he himself was a direct target of the plot, adding that plans were made to arrest him and shoot him if he resisted.

“I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot. But that’s the job. Anybody who goes into a coup zeroes his mind because you know the consequences,” he said.

He described the plotters as “very unserious individuals”, arguing that their plan stood no chance of success, even without the intervention of the armed forces.

“Even Nigerians would have fought them. Nigerians have resisted military rule for a long time.

“For anyone to think they could just wake up and carry out a coup in today’s Nigeria, something went wrong in their heads,” Musa said.

However, he confirmed that most of those involved had been arrested, with only one or two suspects possibly still at large.

Additionally, he said that Interpol had been contacted to track down civilian collaborators who allegedly funded the plot.

“There has always been civilian instigation in coups in the past. Some people think force is the shortcut to power. It has never worked and it will not work again,” he said.

On the military’s initial denial of the coup, Musa explained that security agencies made it a priority not to act prematurely on rumours.

He said arrests were only made after concrete evidence was established to avoid implicating innocent persons.

“You don’t work on speculation. You work on facts because you must present those facts in court. That’s why the investigation was painstaking and involved the DSS, NIA, DIA and others,” he said.

He added that although the plot, if successful, would have been “bloody” and destabilising, it was unrealistic given the current structure of the armed forces.

“This is because the suspects were low-ranking officers without access to critical command structures.” he said.

However, he affirmed that Tinubu had been fully briefed at every stage of the investigation and reiterated the military’s commitment to democracy.

“Nigeria is far beyond coups. Democracy is what we stand for, and we will continue to defend it,” he said.

On concerns about security lapses around the Presidential Villa, Musa insisted that the area remains heavily fortified, noting that no security system is completely immune to breaches.

“These incidents only show you where your weaknesses are, and then you strengthen them. That is exactly what we have done,” he said.