James Adams in Abuja
The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has revealed that he was personally singled out as a prime target in a recent alleged military plot to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu, stating that the conspirators had orders to shoot him if he resisted arrest.
This disclosure was made during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics monitored by Spear News Nigeria, marking the first time a senior government official has publicly detailed the direct threat posed by the plotters.
The interview came in the wake of a formal announcement last week that 16 military officers, initially arrested in October 2025, would face trial for their alleged roles in the foiled conspiracy.
“I was also a target. I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot,” General Musa stated.
The Defence Minister, a former Chief of Defence Staff, did not elaborate on how he learned of his targeting but emphasised that the threat was specific and credible.
His statement provides a new dimension to a case that has simmered for months within Nigeria’s military and security establishment. It transforms the alleged plot from an abstract political conspiracy into a tangible plan that placed the lives of top officials in immediate peril.
Background of the Plot
The media first broke the news in October 2025, announcing the arrest of 16 officers across various services for what was then vaguely described as “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.”
The announcement was met with public speculation but limited official detail, leading to rumors of a serious internal security breach.
It was only in a statement released last week by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, that the true nature of the allegations was confirmed.
The statement declared that “further investigations” had linked some of the detained officers to “allegations of attempting to overthrow the government,” describing their conduct as “contrary to the ethics and professional standards of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”
The statement clarified that the investigation had concluded and that “those found to have cases to answer would be arraigned before a military judicial panel in line with the Armed Forces Act and other relevant service regulations.” Major General Uba assured the public that the process would “ensure accountability while observing fairness and due process.”
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