Alleged coup against Tinubu was foolhardy; even civilians would have spotted the planners — Minister

By Ayobami Okerinde

The former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa (rtd), has called the alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu “foolhardy,” asserting that ordinary Nigerians would have thwarted any attempt to overthrow the government.

Musa made the comments on Friday during an appearance on Arise Television, reacting to the ongoing trial of military officers, civilians and a cleric accused of involvement in the alleged plot.

He said the conspirators lacked direction and had misled junior officers into participating.

“Anybody thinking about planning a coup is wasting their time. Even the civilians in Nigeria will have taken them down. So I think it was just foolhardy for them to have done what they are trying to do or what they wanted to do,” Musa said.

“I looked at the people involved and shook my head because they are just a bunch of confused individuals who exposed very junior officers, who could not tell their left from their right, and dragged them into this mess.”

Musa added that the military remains committed to due process, noting that investigations and court‑martial proceedings are ongoing.

“It is quite unfortunate. We always feel bad when we see our colleagues face drilling. But the good thing is that the system has a way of going about it. The investigation was very thorough. The prosecution and court‑martial are ongoing, and we’re giving them all the benefits to defend themselves. But the facts on the ground are very clear, and we’re following all the processes. Nothing is hidden. It’s quite unfortunate what they did. They had no reason to do that.”

“The country was going very well. The armed forces have been taken care of quite well. We’ve never had issues with our salaries, and efforts have been made to even increase our salaries and our allowances. Our troops are doing quite well. We’re getting more equipment to fight.”

Musa also addressed his removal as Chief of Defence Staff in October 2025, weeks after reports of the alleged coup plot emerged. President Tinubu had replaced the service chiefs, including Musa, before later nominating him as minister of defence in December.

He said, “That was a presidential decision. I have spent over 34 years in service, so at any time at the discretion of the president, I could be relieved, and I was let go.”

“Five weeks later, I am back to show that it was not because I was involved in anything. Far from it. We were actually the ones that uncovered the coup attempt.”

“We were the ones who reported it. I was the one who convened the committee that carried out the investigation. We did all that together.”

His comments come after the federal government arraigned six persons before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of treason, terrorism and money laundering linked to the alleged plot to unseat Tinubu.

Those standing trial include retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, serving Police Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Kaduna‑based Islamic cleric Abdulkadir Sani.

Former Bayelsa State governor and ex‑minister of state for petroleum resources, Timipre Sylva, was also named in the charge but was said to have fled the country before the alleged plot was uncovered.

The alleged coup plot first came to public attention in October 2025 after the federal government abruptly cancelled the Independence Day military parade over what officials described as security concerns.

Although the military initially denied reports of a coup threat, authorities later announced that several officers would face court‑martial proceedings over alleged plans to overthrow the government.

During recent proceedings before the Federal High Court in Abuja, the federal government played video evidence in which some of the accused persons allegedly admitted knowledge of the plot.

In one of the videos, retired Naval Captain Victor admitted he was aware of discussions about overthrowing the government but claimed he advised against it.

Police Inspector Ibrahim was also alleged to have carried out reconnaissance around the Presidential Villa and discussed possible access routes with the alleged masterminds.

Similarly, Islamic cleric Sheikh Abdulkadir Sani told investigators he warned those behind the alleged plot that it would fail because they would eventually betray one another.

“I told them the plan would fail because they would be exposed from within,” the cleric reportedly said in a recorded statement played in court.

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