Coup was planned before Tinubu’s inauguration – Defence minister

In this interview on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), speaks on his transition from Chief of Defence Staff, the alleged coup plot, military reforms among other issues.

You moved straight from being Chief of Defence Staff to Minister of Defence, with barely any break. How does that feel?

In my 39 years of military service, I never really had two weeks away from work. If you sit down doing nothing, you feel something is wrong. I am grateful to God and to Mr President for considering me worthy. It is a big task, but with the love and support of Nigerians, I am encouraged to do more.

How easy was the transition from CDS to Minister of Defence?

The military prepares you for both sides — being in uniform and being a civilian. You know that after 35 years, you will return to civilian life, so it’s a mindset. As CDS, you are more military than civilian. As a minister, you combine both. That gives me an advantage because I understand how the military works and how to interface with civilians.

Are you now a politician?

I’ve not transitioned yet. I’m in transition.

Are you now a member of the APC?

Not yet. But I think I will be, definitely. The APC has given me the platform to present myself right from when I was CDS till date, so why not? Mr President needs all the support. I will give him all my support. Whatever I can do to make sure that he succeeds in his duties, including moving forward to the second term, I think I will give him my very best.

There are those who think that you were compensated for some reason by the President. Did you help in saving his life during the coup plot?

I was not compensated. I know the President; he has an eye for picking the best for whatever task is at hand. I believe he saw that I had something to add, something of value. I am grateful that he considered me worthy. I will continue to do my best for my country and for the President, to show that he did not make a mistake—that his decision was justified.

You were also instrumental in helping save his life and the lives of others who might have been killed in the planned coup.

I was also a target. I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was to be shot. But that is the job. Anyone who goes into a coup zeros his mind. You either succeed or you fail, and whatever consequences come, you accept them. But honestly, these individuals were very unserious. They did not understand what they were getting into. If you look at their calibre, you wonder what got into their heads to think they could take on the Armed Forces.

Nigerians themselves would have resisted them. Even without the Armed Forces, Nigerians would have stood against them. Nigerians have fought against military rule for a long time. That is why Mr President has always stood with the people. For anyone to think they could wake up one morning and do that in Nigeria, something clearly went wrong in their thinking. They need to reset their minds.

Did they understand the consequences?

Definitely. Most definitely.

Have all those involved been apprehended?

So far, most of them have been caught. If anyone remains, perhaps one or two, but the majority have been arrested. It started with the colonel, who felt disgruntled because he was not promoted. He did not meet the required standards. The Armed Forces’ promotion system is very strict. So, he went around recruiting others who felt aggrieved—those not promoted or dissatisfied with postings. My pain is for the young officers who did not understand what they were getting into. He dragged them into a mess, and now they must face the consequences.

A lot of money was reportedly committed to the coup plot.

Yes, but it was centred on him as an individual. Everything revolved around him as a colonel. Frankly, I cannot imagine a colonel attempting such a thing. That era is past. This is not the Nigeria of the past. It is almost impossible today.

Why was the plot not detected earlier?

You do not act on speculation; you act on facts. You must be able to present evidence in court. Otherwise, the case collapses. The situation was monitored until facts were clear, then action was taken.

We also wanted to avoid implicating innocent people. That was why the process was painstaking. I inaugurated the board and ensured investigations were carried out thoroughly by the DIA, alongside the NIA, DSS, and other agencies. It was a holistic investigation.

From what we gathered, the planning dated back to around May 29, 2023—before the President took office. This was not because they thought the government was underperforming. They planned it knowing he had won the election. That makes it even more unfortunate.

Would it have been a bloody coup?

Based on the plan, yes; but execution is another matter. They probably thought Nigeria was another country. That kind of thing cannot succeed here today.

Were there loopholes within the military?

There are good, bad, and ugly people everywhere. No system is perfect. That is why we keep monitoring, reinforcing discipline, and ensuring every officer understands his responsibility. For anyone to attempt to truncate democracy at this stage is deeply troubling. We have strengthened the system. It is almost impossible to carry out a coup in Nigeria now—especially within the military. The Armed Forces are united.

What about civilian collaborators?

Historically, civilians have often instigated coups. It has never worked and will not work again. Nigeria has moved beyond that. Democracy is what we stand for. Interpol has been contacted. Those involved will be tracked. It is only a matter of time. Some of those named are alleged to be politically connected. Greed and self-interest drive such actions. But consequences always follow.

What about the families of those arrested?

This is part of the tragedy. Families bear the consequences of actions they did not commit. We have informed them clearly, and the Armed Forces are ensuring their welfare is protected, so they are not punished for the actions of their spouses.

One suspect escaped briefly. Why?

He was re-arrested almost immediately. As humans, nothing is 100 per cent. There was no denial. We followed due process. Coup allegations are serious; you must be certain before making them public. The president has been fully briefed at every stage.

There are concerns about security at Aso Rock

No place is completely immune. Even the White House and Buckingham Palace have had breaches. Aso Rock is heavily fortified. However, the incident revealed areas for improvement, and measures have been taken.

What lessons should Nigeria learn?

Nigerians must remain vigilant. Perception can be dangerous. We must move beyond ethnic blame and historical grievances. Sixty years after independence, we should not still be blaming colonialism. We must draw a line between the past and the future. Nations progress when they let go of destructive narratives. Nigeria has what it takes to succeed. Very few people damage our image, but we must do better at celebrating the many Nigerians excelling globally.

The ethnic composition of the arrested officers has raised concerns

I believe it was coincidental. The military operates like a family; people recruit those around them. There was no deliberate ethnic agenda—just foolishness, and they will face the consequences. We cannot still be debating civil war narratives in 2026. We must learn from history and move forward.

Are coups likely in the region?

Many of the countries experiencing coups are not Anglophone. Nigeria remains one of the most stable democracies in the region, alongside Ghana. Recently, we intervened to prevent a coup in Benin Republic. Within 12 hours, we secured the situation. That shows our capacity. We must continue to build our strength to secure Nigeria, the region, and Africa. When Benin needed help, its president called ours directly. The directive was given, and we acted swiftly.

Nigeria recently signed a defence cooperation agreement with Türkiye. What exactly does it cover?

The agreement covers military education, exchange of officers, training, intelligence sharing and defence industry cooperation. Importantly, it allows the co-production of military hardware in Nigeria. We don’t want to keep buying equipment; we want to build capacity, save foreign exchange and create jobs. So, it is a holistic issue for us. Türkiye, globally speaking, ranks very high—perhaps among the top six countries—with the capacity to produce military hardware.

What is new that we have gotten from Türkiye?

As I said, we have now made it very official. They can come here, and we can produce together. What we told them is that we do not want a situation where we constantly go to buy equipment and bring it home.

This time around, we want to use our own defence industry, produce here, and build our own capacity. We are confident that if we are able to do that, we can also reach out to our neighbours within the region and across Africa.

What makes Türkiye a strategic partner?

Türkiye has transformed its defence industry remarkably. They produce highly sophisticated air, land and sea platforms and are willing to transfer technology. That is crucial for us.

In terms of hardware, are we getting intelligence support?

Yes, we are sharing intelligence. They have a very strong intelligence system, being positioned between Europe and Asia. Some of these terrorist groups are receiving external support. Türkiye can help us identify funding sources, logistics, command structures, and other critical details. That will greatly enhance our intelligence capacity.

Our baseline intelligence surveillance relies on satellites. We have a bit of a handicap there. We have one satellite, but it does not give us what we need. It takes about four days for a round trip. What we need is real-time intelligence—being able to see what is happening and respond immediately. Modern warfare is very complex because the enemy is within.

Is there any low-hanging fruit in terms of surveillance?

Many security experts will tell you that response time is sometimes more important than the attack itself. Yes, attacks may happen. I remember visiting the White House as a tourist and being told that if there is an attack on the White House or Congress, response time is less than five minutes, with a whole battalion deployed.

Those are the things we are working towards. Quick response requires helicopters, drones, MRAPs, and light infantry vehicles that can move quickly. One of the major challenges we face is infrastructure. In many operational areas, covering 10 kilometres can take six hours. You often need someone ahead with a handheld probe checking for IEDs. If a vehicle hits an IED, everyone inside is gone. That is what makes operations extremely difficult. Once troops move into an area, informants alert the terrorists, and they retreat to isolated locations.

How soon will Turkish technology be deployed on the ground?

Very soon. Some of them are already ready. We are on the paperwork now, and the designs have been completed. There will be discussions, training, and implementation. Some of the equipment will arrive quickly and be deployed as soon as possible.

What about integration challenges?

We use U.S., Russian, Chinese, and other technologies. They all operate on common platforms. We conduct specific training for each system. We already have six Turkish helicopters performing very well, and our pilots are trained.

We are training more pilots, so when additional helicopters arrive, they can be deployed immediately. We also operate drones. For every system, we prepare in advance—training, spare parts, and maintenance systems—because these are not off-the-shelf items. They are produced specifically for our terrain and needs.

Night-vision infrastructure is also included. It is comprehensive. All the technologies are integrated and communicate with each other. This eases our burden because Türkiye is now our partner. I hope this does not upset the United States. We have also seen benefits from the NSA’s trip to the U.S. There have been deliveries of American military equipment.

Nigeria is a non-aligned nation. That allows us to partner with everyone. We can work with China, Türkiye, and the United States. Isolating yourself to one bloc is not in your best interest. Egypt, for example, receives support from multiple partners. Maintaining that leverage allows you to move forward.

Let me come to the reality on the ground. You said some commanders of terrorist groups and bandits have been neutralised—killed, as we would rather say. Who are these people? Where were they killed? Mostly in the North-West, North-East and North-Central. There is an ongoing war. We are expanding operations in Niger and Kwara states to prevent infiltration towards the South, which would be very dangerous.

They understand this, so what they do is hit soft targets—set fire to one or two buildings—and move on. That is what makes the news. But we are winning. I am glad we are winning. For the first time in December, people returned to the South-East from abroad and stayed through Christmas and into January. That has not happened before. We are working, but it is not yet Uhuru. These groups will continue to try to cause pain. No country is 100 per cent safe. We are working, we are winning, and we will continue to work harder.

However, people see reports of attacks—churches burned, police stations attacked, kidnappings in Kaduna—and they ask: if we are winning, how are these attacks still happening?

As I said, no country is completely safe. Even in the U.S., despite all the technology, attacks still happen. Asymmetric warfare is very difficult, especially when the enemy is ideologically driven and has nothing to lose. In the past, attacks were widespread. Now, they are limited to fewer areas. Because of pressure, they are fleeing. When they find an exposed community, they strike and run. That creates the impression that nothing has been done. But a lot has been done.

Are we using mercenaries?

No. We do not have mercenaries on the ground. What we do is partner with friendly nations to enhance capacity—training in special warfare, helicopters, drones, and so on. That is part of military tradition.

One of the president’s promises is to put more boots on the ground. There is a directive for increased recruitment in both the military and the police. That process has begun. For the army, beyond the depot in Zaria, we have opened two new training depots, including one in the South-East. The police and other security agencies are also expanding capacity.

Recruitment is painstaking. You must assess who you are bringing in. That again brings us back to data and databases. Security has both kinetic and non-kinetic aspects. The military handles the kinetic. The non-kinetic—good governance, border control, infrastructure—can speed things up.

Is Nigeria talking to Israel?

Yes. Israel is our partner. We have an embassy there, and they have one here. We talk to everyone who can add value.

Banditry and the conflicts we are fighting—are we seeing a new tone in ideological warfare? Are we seeing infiltration from outside? Are these foreign elements, or are they local initiatives by insurgents?

Terrorism started in the North-East, although there were earlier manifestations that were quashed. What affects us most is that when these things start, reports are made and no action is taken. It did not start today. It has been ongoing for a long time, and we needed to be proactive. Just like the coup attempt was quickly followed up with arrests, we should have done the same with this.

Instead, we downplayed it until they became monsters. This has happened repeatedly. If you allow a monster to grow because you think it is fighting your enemy, it will eventually turn against you. That is why we must unite and fight anyone who does not mean us well.

On the question of terror financiers and why it has been difficult to name them: some names have been mentioned, arrests have been made, and prosecutions are ongoing. These things take time. You do not want to present a case that will be thrown out by the courts due to a lack of evidence. Gathering facts is difficult and requires careful follow-up.

The reported execution of General Uba was very sad. The audacity of those involved is disturbing. Is the military angry enough to go after those responsible?

As we speak, we are operating in and around the area. However, we are not yet certain he is dead because we have not recovered any remains. If you observe the video, when such acts occur, the perpetrators usually leave the body behind. In this case, that did not happen. He is currently classified as missing in action, not killed in action. We have information suggesting he may still be alive, and we remain hopeful. I visited the family to reassure his wife and children that efforts are ongoing.

This underscores why we must not allow crime and criminality to fester—whether under the guise of religion, tribe, or ethnicity. We must unite and stop the blame game.

Have operations returned to the area?

Yes, they have.

Sambisa Forest?

Yes. We are operating there daily. The terrain is vast. When pressure mounts, they flee to neighbouring countries.

There have been reports about you possibly being considered as a vice-presidential candidate. How would you feel about that?

For me, that is distracting. The president appointed me to ensure peace and security in Nigeria, and that is my focus. Political considerations are for the president. I have a task, and I want to face it squarely without distraction.

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