Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Christopher Musa, has revealed that suspects behind the recently foiled coup plot allegedly planned violent actions against President Bola Tinubu and top security officials, including himself, as part of what he described as a poorly conceived takeover attempt.
Speaking during an interview on Politics Today on Channels Television, the minister said details from investigations showed that some of the plotters identified key targets to be arrested or possibly shot if they resisted. He disclosed that he was personally listed among those to be neutralised.
“I was also a target. I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot,” Musa said, stressing that anyone who chooses the path of a coup usually understands the grave consequences if the plan fails. He described the suspects as unserious and unrealistic, saying they clearly misjudged the strength, structure and loyalty system within the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The Defence Headquarters had earlier confirmed that a number of serving officers across the Army, Navy and Air Force are currently in detention over the alleged conspiracy. Military authorities say investigations have been concluded and the affected officers will be arraigned before court-martial panels in line with the Armed Forces Act, with provisions for legal representation and due process. Musa added that while the allegations are serious, the military justice system will remain orderly and fair, and arrangements are being made to ensure families of those detained are not abandoned.
He said the failed plot highlights how much Nigeria’s military environment has changed compared to past decades when coups were more frequent. According to him, tighter intelligence coordination, command discipline and institutional reforms under democratic rule have made unconstitutional power grabs far more difficult to execute.
Nigeria witnessed multiple coups between 1966 and the early 1990s, but none has succeeded since the country returned to civilian rule in 1999. The last major failed attempt in 1990 ended with arrests, military tribunals and severe punishments for those involved. Under the current democratic system, however, accused officers are processed through structured court-martial proceedings rather than emergency tribunals.
The Defence Minister maintained that the armed forces remain loyal to constitutional authority and capable of stopping internal threats, noting that the early discovery and disruption of the alleged plot should reassure Nigerians about the stability of the system.
