A recently concluded military investigation has uncovered an elaborate plot to overthrow the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The report also revealed that conspirators had penetrated security at the Presidential Villa and designated top leaders, including President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, some ministers, for assassination.
The scheme was masterminded by a disgruntled Army Colonel who had repeatedly failed promotion exams. According to an interim report released by the Defense Headquarters on Monday, the Colonel harnessed his resentment to recruit other disgruntled officers across the Army, Navy, and Air Force, openly advocating for a change of government and becoming the plot’s chief coordinator, financier, and motivator.
Under his direction, the network conducted covert surveillance of critical national installations marked for seizure. These included the Presidential Villa, the Armed Forces Complex, Niger Barracks in Abuja, and both the Abuja and Lagos international airports.
Investigators found that the group had compromised staff of the construction firm Julius Berger to obtain detailed security layouts of the Villa grounds.
The plot, scheduled for late October 2025, involved detailed assignments for handling key national figures. The President, Vice President, senior ministers, and service chiefs were all reportedly earmarked for elimination, indicating a plan for a violent, fatal takeover rather than a symbolic seizure of power.
The Colonel allegedly provided financial inducements—ranging from ₦2 million to ₦5 million—to participating officers for logistics and mobilization. During a search of his vehicle, security personnel discovered traditional charms and anti-government literature.
A subsequent raid on his residence in Lokogoma, Abuja, yielded sensitive documents that outlined assigned roles for principal actors and identified which officials were to be “handled.”
The plot began to unravel last October after defense intelligence detected suspicious activity, leading to the arrest of 16 officers for breaches of military discipline. While the military initially presented the arrests as a routine disciplinary matter after a report by Sahara Reporters, the wider conspiracy soon came to light.
One of the detained officers, Lieutenant Colonel S. Bappah, became a cooperating witness, providing investigators with critical details on the plot’s funding, recruitment, and encrypted communications via platforms such as WhatsApp and Zangi.
The new Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, provided an official update, stating, “a comprehensive investigation had now been concluded in accordance with established military procedures, and the report had been forwarded to the appropriate superior authority.”
The Defence Headquarters also confirmed that “personnel indicted after investigations into alleged misconduct by some military officers, which uncovered claims of a plot to overthrow the government, would be arraigned before an appropriate military judicial panel.”
Most of the accused officers are of northern extraction, with the exception of one captain from Osun State. The probe has since expanded to examine potential civilian ties, with intelligence reviews reportedly mentioning a former minister. No charges have been filed against the former minister, who has been abroad.
With the investigation formally concluded, the military justice system is now expected to initiate proceedings against the alleged plotters, including the Colonel identified as the operation’s mastermind.
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