The admission by the military that there was a failed coup after initial denials has confirmed what top military sources told Political Economist NG late last year that the foiled coup could have been the bloodiest ever witnessed in Nigeria.
The arrowheads of the coup were said to mid-level officers mostly of the rank of Majors who were determined to effect regime change through the barrel of their guns.
A senior military officer had long confirmed the roles of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), under the leadership of then Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, and the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, in successfully aborting the planned bloody coup.
The plot, according to military sources, was to kill anybody standing in their way with specific targets listed as top people in the Presidency with President Bola Tinubu being the chief target. Others listed as targets of the coup plotters were senior members of the National Assembly.
It was also disclosed that the coup plotters belonged to a clique in the military drawn from a particular set in the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Political Economist NG recalls that after initial denials, the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) said it has concluded investigations into cases involving 16 officers apprehended over acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations, with some of them to face trial before military judicial panels.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Samaila Uba, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
Uba recalled that the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) had, in October 2025, announced the arrest of the officers, noting that the investigations had now been completed in line with established military procedures and extant regulations.
According to him, the investigation examined all circumstances surrounding the conduct of the affected personnel and identified a number of the officers with cases to answer, including allegations bordering on plotting to overthrow the government.
He said such actions were inconsistent with the ethics, values and professional standards expected of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
“Accordingly, officers found to have cases to answer will be formally arraigned before appropriate military judicial panels to face trial in line with the Armed Forces Act and other applicable service regulations,” he said.
