The Nigerian military has reportedly arrested and detained 16 senior officers over an alleged coup attempt to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to a report by Sahara Reporters on Saturday, the 16 officers, including a brigadier general and a colonel, were apprehended in late September after intelligence revealed they were holding secret meetings and expressing discontent with the administration.
The report also claimed that the alleged plot led to the cancellation of Nigeria’s Independence Day parade on October 1.
Recall that in a statement issued on October 4, the Defence Headquarters confirmed the arrest of some officers but did not state that they were being investigated for a coup attempt.
The statement, signed by the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, clarified that the arrests were made during a routine military exercise for “indiscipline and breach of service regulations,” and not for political reasons.
According to him, investigations showed the officers’ grievances were tied to “perceived career stagnation” and repeated failures in promotion examinations.
It added that some of the detained personnel were already facing disciplinary actions for other offences.
“Their conduct was deemed incompatible with the standards of military service. Upon completion of investigations, indicted officers will face the full military disciplinary process,” the statement read.
However, a senior official of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) involved in the arrest told Sahara Reporters that the officers, led by an army brigadier general, were plotting to stage a coup and remove “selfish politicians” from power.
He said the coup attempt was foiled after intelligence gathering by the DIA and other security agencies.
“The 16 officers were planning a coup. The military authorities were just being diplomatic in the statement released by the spokesperson. They have started doing secret meetings on how to overthrow the President and other top government officials,” the source told Sahara Reporters.
“They’re all officers within the rank of Captain to Brigadier-General and are still in detention at DIA as we talk. They were picked recently at their various houses around the country. Their main objective was to overthrow President Tinubu and announce a military government.”
The military also emphasized that the arrests were strictly disciplinary, part of efforts to uphold professionalism and order within the ranks.
The report was confirmed by PREMIUM TIMES, which cited a military source as saying that more officers had been detained following the initial arrests.
The paper reported that the officers allegedly planned a violent coup in which top government officials were targeted for assassination.
“The alleged coup plotters had tentatively picked a date for the coup and were continuing consultations when the plot leaked.”
“The coup plot caused panic in government after it was leaked because the military high command had repeatedly assured the government of the military’s loyalty to the administration and civil authorities,” the officer told PREMIUM TIMES.
“Out of that panic, the government cancelled the National Independence Day parade on October 1, because it was a military ceremony and they did not want to take any risk.”
An investigative panel, the source added, has been set up by the military to probe what authorities describe as “indiscipline and breach of service regulations.”
The composition of the investigative panel remains unclear, but sources said that the army, air force, navy, police, and the State Security Service are represented.
One source confirmed the panel has been meeting for the past week but declined to reveal its sitting location.
However, the Defence Headquarters is yet to issue an official statement on the latest development.
A coup d’état is a direct attempt by a military body or government elite to unseat an existing leadership.
This situation comes about a year after some Nigerians, frustrated by rising economic hardship, openly called for military intervention. It also occurred just days before Madagascar experienced its own coup, marking the ninth in Africa since 2020.
Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has witnessed five successful military coups.
