BREAKING: Nigerian Military Makes Fresh Arrests Over Alleged Coup Plot Against Tinubu

Investigations into the matter have been ongoing since 2025, but no formal trial has been initiated, and the specifics of the alleged plan have not been publicly disclosed.

The Nigerian military has reportedly made new arrests linked to an alleged plan to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

Among those detained is Major H. Yusuf of the Nigerian Army, a member of the 57 Regular Course who recently completed his Senior Course at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji.

Major Yusuf is being held alongside other suspects in connection with what authorities have described as a coup plot, though details surrounding the alleged conspiracy remain scarce.

Investigations into the matter have been ongoing since 2025, but no formal trial has been initiated, and the specifics of the alleged plan have not been publicly disclosed.

Observers have described the situation as opaque.

Background

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), recently revealed that he was among senior officials marked for elimination in the alleged coup plot uncovered by the military late last year.

Speaking on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, the minister said the plotters intended to arrest him and shoot him if he resisted.

His disclosure came days after the Armed Forces confirmed that some of the 16 officers arrested in October 2025 would be prosecuted for allegedly attempting to overthrow President Tinubu’s administration.

“I was also a target,” General Musa, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), said during the programme. “I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot.”

In October, the military announced the arrest of 16 officers for what it described at the time as acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.

However, authorities in January 2026 said subsequent investigations uncovered evidence linking some of the officers to a plot aimed at destabilising the government.

In a statement, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said findings showed that certain suspects were involved in actions “inconsistent with the ethics, values, and professional standards required of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”

He added that those found to have cases to answer would be formally arraigned before a military judicial panel in line with the Armed Forces Act and other relevant service regulations.

The alleged plot was said to have extended beyond the military hierarchy, with reports suggesting that several top government officials and other prominent Nigerians were listed as potential targets.

The attempted coup has also been linked in some quarters to the cancellation of Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary parade.

Separately, the residence of former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva, was reportedly raided over alleged links to the plot, though no formal charges have been publicly confirmed.

General Musa dismissed the coup plotters as lacking seriousness and capacity to challenge the Nigerian military.

Nigeria experienced a series of military coups between 1966 and 1993 before returning to civilian rule in 1999.

Since then, the country has maintained a democratic system despite ongoing security and political challenges.

The alleged coup attempt comes amid a wave of military takeovers and failed plots across parts of West Africa, including a reported coup attempt in neighbouring Benin Republic late last year.

Earlier, SaharaReporters exclusively reported the arrest of a policeman alongside military officers accused of planning to the coup.

The police officer, identified as Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, is from Taraba State.

SaharaReporters learnt that Ibrahim was arrested in Abuja by operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency and in the agency’s custody.

Among the 35 military officers detained are: an Army Brigadier General, two Colonels, five Lieutenant Colonels, one Wing Commander (Air Force equivalent of a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army), eight Majors, one Lieutenant Commander (Navy equivalent of a Major in the Army), two Squadron Leaders (Air Force equivalent of a Major in the Army), five Captains, and a Lieutenant.

Also in detention are 10 non-commissioned officers (NCOs), which include a Warrant Officer, five Sergeants, one Corporal, and two Lance Corporals.

While one of the detained Army Captains, A. Yusuf, is from Osun State, Squadron Leader Zuzu, a senior Air Force Officer, is from Bayelsa State.

The 33 others are all from the Northern part of the country, including the FCT, with three officers.

Two of the officers, a Brigadier General and a Lieutenant Colonel, are from Nasarawa State; six, including three non-commissioned officers, are from Niger State.

Three are from Katsina State, including a Colonel who was undergoing a course in a North African country. Three affected officers, all Lieutenant Colonels, are from Kaduna, Plateau, and Kano States. Two Majors are both from Gombe State, while another is from Bauchi. Others are from Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Taraba, Yobe, Kogi, Sokoto, and Adamawa.

In October 2025, SaharaReporters exclusively reported how some military officers were arrested by the DIA in Abuja over an alleged plot to overthrow President Tinubu’s government.

The military agency, established in 1986, is Nigeria’s primary military intelligence body.

It is responsible for gathering and providing intelligence to the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence to counter security threats, safeguard national integrity, and support military operations, including ongoing efforts against terrorism and insurgency.

Sources at the Defence Headquarters confirmed that the officers, drawn from the Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air Force, were arrested in coordinated operations by military intelligence operatives following weeks of covert surveillance.

However, the Defence Headquarters initially dismissed the reports, saying the arrest of the officers mentioned in the reports was unrelated to any alleged coup plot.

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters reported on January 23, 2026, that at least five of the detained officers had fallen ill while in custody, with two reportedly collapsing due to worsening conditions.

Sources disclosed that the officers were allegedly transferred from an initial DIA detention facility to an underground military cell in Abuja described as dark and poorly ventilated.

Families of the detained officers have repeatedly raised concerns over what they described as inhumane treatment, prolonged incommunicado detention, and denial of access to lawyers and relatives.

Some spouses told SaharaReporters that they were not informed of transfers between detention facilities and had been barred from visits since the arrests.