THE opacity surrounding the alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu’s government has set Nigerians on edge. Nigeria is better off as a democracy than as a military dictatorship. Such dark days are over.
The alleged plot was exposed when an unnamed military officer with direct knowledge of the plan reportedly contacted the then-Chief of Army Staff, Olufemi Oluyede (who is now the Chief of Defence Staff), in September 2025.
Thereafter, President Bola Tinubu was reportedly informed of the alleged plot in September. He thereafter cancelled the Independence Day ceremony for October 1.
He also approved the setting up of a Special Investigative Panel. After that, the Defence Headquarters on October 18 announced that it was investigating 16 detained officers for routine breaches of service regulations.
Nigerians did not generally take notice of this announcement since such disciplinary measures were a routine military procedure. After all, the DHQ had said it was to ensure discipline and professionalism within the Armed Forces.
However, when media reports emerged of a failed coup plot against Tinubu’s administration, it became more than just a passing narrative.
Then, reports claimed that some military officers, including an unnamed brigadier-general, were being detained over the matter.
This seemed to have stirred subsequent narratives about the said plan, as a week after the DHQ memo, officers of the Defence Intelligence Agency raided the Abuja residence of a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and detained his younger brother, Paga. By the end of October, it emerged that more military officers and some civilians had been arrested, bringing the total number to 40.
Some other revelations, such as billions of naira traced to the bank account of one of the officers and the purchase of vehicles for the plot, were reported in the media.
A story about the coup details hinted at a plan to eliminate the President, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, and some other top government officials.
However, it wasn’t until January that the military high command officially confirmed the detention of several officers for an alleged attempt to overthrow the government. It said that the officers would face trial before a court-martial, while the civilians would be dragged before the courts.
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, claimed that the plot predated the Tinubu administration and involved a disgruntled colonel who failed his examination for promotion to the rank of brigadier-general.
There was even a report that a retired senior military officer had been arrested and detained alongside others, including his serving officer son and a Nollywood movie director.
The disjointed “disclosures” have generally fuelled disbelief among Nigerians due to the delay in initially naming the alleged coup plotters and other details being filtered out to the public.
It has now become a media trial with serious offences lined up against the detainees, most already named, but they haven’t been given the chance to defend themselves.
One of the consequences of the long delays has been the ethnic colouration injected into the matter.
When the first set of names was released, it was tagged as being a Northern affair, with only one of the alleged coup plotters being listed as an indigene of Delta State. Within a few weeks, a Nollywood actor, Stanley Amandi, appeared on the list.
Though DHQ says it has concluded investigations, public unease is growing as Nigerians demand a fair trial. Some have even reportedly accused Tinubu of using the alleged putsch to whittle down the influence of the North.
Femi Falana (SAN) argues that the military officers cannot be tried by court-martial under Nigeria’s democratic system. Instead, they should face prosecution in civilian courts in line with constitutional provisions.
He warned that attempting to try coup suspects in military tribunals would violate democratic principles and undermine the supremacy of the Constitution, citing Section 251(2) of the 1999 Constitution, which confers jurisdiction over treason and allied offences in the Federal High Court. He added that an open trial would dispel misgivings about the opacity in the matter.
Even if the arrested officers are to face a military court-martial under the provisions of the Armed Forces Act 2004, press coverage must be allowed since the alleged plot was targeted at derailing the democratic order.
It is trite that coups are no longer fashionable worldwide. In 2023, Nigeria threatened to invade the Niger Republic to put down the coup there.
Also, in late 2025, Tinubu ordered Nigerian fighter jets to bomb locations of soldiers who allegedly attempted to overthrow the government of President Patrice Talon in the Benin Republic.
Democracy must be secured by all means, but politicians should also avoid actions that can instigate disgruntled citizens, including soldiers, into taking such unlawful actions.
The citizens are suffering. The government must take courageous steps to save the country from the lingering economic quagmire and ease the cost of living. Individuals engaging in coup-baiting by levelling false accusations against fellow Nigerians should be prosecuted.
