Coup plot was genuine and suspects are on trial, Nigeria’s defence minister says

Nigeria’s Defence Minister Christopher Musa says the alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration was real, and that those accused of planning it have now been taken to court.

“The coup was genuine, and they truly intended to carry it out,” Musa said during an interview with Channels Television’s Politics Today. He said investigators had confirmed the suspects’ intention to seize power after the alleged plot was uncovered in 2025.

Musa said the suspects appeared to have been driven by money rather than a political or ideological cause. He described them as “a bunch of misguided individuals who went into it for money alone.” The minister also said some may have been influenced by memories of earlier military regimes, when officers who took power later became governors and ministers, but added that there was no concrete justification for the alleged plan.

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The coup was genuine, and they truly intended to carry it out.

The suspects were initially held while security agencies investigated the allegations. Musa said they had since been transferred to the courts and that the case was no longer under military control. Six suspects, including retired military officers and a police officer, have been charged before the Federal High Court in Abuja. A separate group of 36 serving military personnel faces proceedings before a General Court Martial.

The investigation reportedly expanded to include serving and retired officers, civilians and others allegedly linked to the plan. Senior political and military officials were identified as possible targets, and Musa, then chief of defence staff, was among those reportedly targeted. He said intelligence indicated that plotters intended to arrest him and shoot him if he resisted.

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A bunch of misguided individuals who went into it for money alone.