Defence Minister Christopher Musa has dismissed the alleged coup plot uncovered within the military, describing it as a poorly conceived plan that stood no chance of succeeding.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Friday, Musa said the officers accused of plotting against President Bola Tinubu’s administration lacked the support needed to execute such an operation.
According to him, the plot was so weak that ordinary Nigerians would have resisted and defeated those behind it even without military intervention.
“Even the civilians in Nigeria would have taken them down. So I think it was just foolhardy for them to have done what they wanted to do,” the minister said.
Musa expressed disappointment over the identities of those allegedly involved in the conspiracy. He described them as confused individuals whose actions placed the careers and futures of younger officers at risk.
“I just looked at the people that were involved and I shook my head, because they are just a bunch of confused individuals that exposed very junior officers who didn’t know their left from their right, and now put them into this mess. It’s quite unfortunate,” he said.
The Defence Minister said he felt sympathy for the junior officers currently standing trial, noting that many of them may have been influenced by senior personnel.
He, however, stressed that the military justice system would handle the matter in line with established procedures.
“We always feel bad when we see our colleagues in this situation. But the good thing is that the system has a way of going about it,” he stated.
Musa maintained that investigations into the alleged plot were extensive and professionally conducted. He added that the ongoing court martial proceedings were being carried out transparently, with all accused officers given the opportunity to defend themselves against the allegations.
“The investigation was very thorough. The prosecution is now ongoing, and the court martial will go as planned. We are giving them all the benefits to defend themselves.
“But the facts on the ground are very, very clear, and I can tell you that we are following all the processes. Nothing is hidden,” he said.
The minister also questioned the motivation behind the alleged conspiracy, arguing that military personnel had no reason to be dissatisfied with the government. He pointed to improvements in welfare, salaries and allowances, as well as continued support for troops engaged in various security operations across the country.
“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.
“Efforts have been made to even increase our allowances. Our troops are doing quite well,” he added.
Reaffirming his support for democratic governance, Musa said the incident should serve as a lesson to younger officers within the armed forces. He argued that military takeovers have no place in modern Nigeria and insisted that democracy remains the best system of government.
“Democracy is far, far better than any military regime. And so this is an opportunity to show the junior ones that this coup doesn’t pay,” he said.
The alleged coup plot first came to public attention in late 2025 following the arrest of several serving officers. Security agencies reportedly uncovered the plan after receiving intelligence reports linking some military personnel to efforts aimed at destabilising the government.
Earlier disclosures by the Defence Minister indicated that the alleged conspiracy was driven by a senior officer who became disgruntled after failing a promotion examination for the rank of brigadier-general. Investigators later traced the origins of the plot to plans that allegedly predated Tinubu’s inauguration on May 29, 2023.
At the initial stage of the investigation, military authorities denied reports of a coup attempt, insisting that the officers involved were only being subjected to routine internal scrutiny. However, subsequent developments, including arrests and searches linked to the probe, fuelled public speculation about the scope of the investigation.
Months later, the Defence Headquarters confirmed that the detained officers would be tried before a court martial, bringing the matter into the open and setting the stage for the ongoing legal proceedings.
The trial is expected to continue in the coming weeks as military prosecutors present evidence against the accused officers.