How security agencies uncovered, foiled coup plot against Tinubu

A coordinated intelligence effort involving the Nigerian Army and the Department of State Services (DSS) disrupted an alleged plan by some military officers to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration and assassinate prominent politicians in the country.

According to multiple senior government sources, the plot began to unravel in late September 2025 when a serving military officer with inside knowledge of the scheme alerted the then Chief of Army Staff, Olufemi Oluyede. The officer reportedly said he feared being implicated in treason if he failed to report the matter to authorities.

Around the same period, the DSS was said to have obtained intelligence suggesting that a group of serving army officers were planning to destabilise the government and undermine democratic rule. An official familiar with the development disclosed that the Director-General of the DSS, Oluwatosin Ajayi, personally briefed Oluyede on the findings.

With intelligence reports converging from both channels, the army and the DSS agreed to act quickly. A discreet joint operation was launched, with coordinated arrests planned across several locations to neutralise the alleged ringleaders and their collaborators.

On September 30, 2025, while President Tinubu travelled to Imo State for an official engagement — reportedly unaware of the alleged plot — the joint operation was executed. Several suspects identified as key actors in the scheme, including serving military officers and civilians, were arrested.

Following the arrests, the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Emmanuel Undiandeye, and the then Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, were briefed. Undiandeye was subsequently directed to detain the suspects at the underground facility of the Defence Intelligence Agency.

President Tinubu was later formally informed of the foiled plot. Sources said the development prompted the immediate cancellation of the October 1 Independence Day parade. The president also approved the setting up of a special investigative panel, chaired by Undiandeye, which led to further arrests.

FULL LIST: DHQ names 16 officers to face court martial over coup plot

A military source told PREMIUM TIMES that one of the detained soldiers later escaped custody but was rearrested by SSS operatives in Bauchi. Meanwhile, a retired officer identified as General Adamu and former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva — both accused of financing the alleged plot — were said to be at large.

In the aftermath, Tinubu relieved General Musa and the chiefs of the navy and air force of their positions. Oluyede was appointed Chief of Defence Staff and promoted to the rank of general. Weeks later, Musa returned to government as minister of defence.

In a statement issued on October 4, the Defence Headquarters said the arrested officers were being investigated for “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations,” adding that preliminary findings pointed to grievances linked to career stagnation and failed promotion examinations.

The military initially denied that there was any coup plot. In a statement issued on October 18, the Defence Headquarters described the case involving 16 arrested officers as a routine internal probe aimed at maintaining discipline within the armed forces.

However, on January 26, the military publicly acknowledged for the first time that some officers had indeed plotted to unlawfully overthrow President Tinubu’s government. It announced that those indicted would be tried before a military judicial panel.

The Defence Headquarters said the investigation was thorough and conducted in line with established procedures, examining all circumstances surrounding the conduct of the affected personnel.

It added that the findings revealed allegations of plotting against the government, conduct it described as incompatible with the ethics and professional standards of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

Those found to have a case to answer, the military said, would be formally arraigned in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and relevant service regulations.

The Star