I was also a target in the coup plot — Defence Minister

The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has revealed that he was among top officials allegedly targeted for arrest by officers accused of plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, saying he was to be shot if he resisted.

Musa disclosed this on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, days after the military confirmed that 16 officers arrested in October 2025 would face trial over an alleged coup attempt.

According to the minister, he later discovered that his name appeared on the list of intended targets.

“I was also a target. I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot,” he said.

He noted that such risks were part of military service but dismissed the suspects as unserious, questioning their capacity to challenge the Armed Forces.

“But that’s the job. Anybody who goes into a coup zeros his mind because you know if you succeed, good; if you don’t succeed, whatever consequences come, you’re ready for it.

“These guys were just a bunch of very unserious individuals,” Musa said.

He added that beyond the military, ordinary Nigerians would have resisted any unconstitutional takeover, recalling the country’s long struggle against military rule.

The military had initially announced the arrest of the 16 officers over acts described as indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.

However, authorities later said further investigations linked some of them to an alleged plot to overthrow the government.

In a statement last week, the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, said officers with cases to answer would be arraigned before a military judicial panel in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and other service regulations.

Uba said the process would ensure accountability while upholding fairness and due process.