The Nigerian military on Monday announced it has concluded a months-long investigation into a group of senior officers, formally indicting a number of them for their alleged roles in a plot to overthrow the government, setting the stage for a historic court-martial.
This development brings to a head a saga that began in October 2025, when the Defence Headquarters announced the arrest of 16 officers—ranging in rank from Captain to Brigadier General—for “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.”
The announcement followed an explosive report by Sahara Reporters in October 2025, which alleged the officers had been holding clandestine meetings to plan a coup and linked their detention to the sudden, unexplained cancellation of that year’s October 1 Independence Day parade.
At the time, the military’s leadership publicly downplayed the severity of the allegations. The then Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, dismissed the coup plot reports as false and “intended to create tension,” framing the arrests as part of a routine internal disciplinary process.
He stated an investigative panel had been constituted and promised its findings would be made public.
After a comprehensive, three-month investigation “conducted in accordance with established military procedures,” the Armed Forces has now reversed its initial stance. In a statement delivered by the new Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, the military confirmed the grave nature of the plot.
“The findings have identified a number of the officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government, which is inconsistent with the ethics, values and professional standards required of members of the AFN,” Uba stated.
With the investigative phase complete, the DHQ confirmed that “the report [has been] forwarded to appropriate superior authority.” The process now moves to a military judicial tribunal. “Accordingly, those with cases to answer will be formally arraigned before appropriate military judicial panels to face trial in accordance with the Armed Forces Act,” Uba said.
He stressed that the measures were disciplinary actions meant to “preserve order, discipline, and operational effectiveness,” and assured that the trial would uphold “the principles of fairness and due process.”
The announcement confirms one of the most serious internal security threats to the Nigerian state in recent years and paves the way for a closely watched military trial that will test the institution’s adherence to its own legal codes amid intense public scrutiny.
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