Nigerian Army colonel Mohammed Ma’aji allegedly spearheaded a plan to overthrow Nigeria’s democratically elected government in a coup d’état last year. But the alleged plot reportedly collapsed before it ever became public knowledge.
Nigeria’s chequered history has seen a mix of “phantom coup” thwarted in the middle of planning, coups foiled during execution, and six successful coups.
In 2025, after over three decades of the nation’s clean break from coup d’etats, another alleged attempt ended in a series of arrests and interrogations of serving and retired military officers, including civilians suspected of playing various roles in the plot to topple the President Bola Tinubu administration.
In its first official reaction to the matter, the Defence Headquarters ( DHQ), in a statement, did not categorically deny that the military officers were involved in an alleged coup plot. It rather explained that the “ongoing investigation involving” the arrested officers was “a routine internal process aimed at ensuring discipline and professionalism is maintained within the ranks.”
The foiled plot, uncovered in late September 2025, unsettled the Tinubu government, which, among other things, cancelled the 1 October Independence Day Parade and reshuffled the military hierarchy, including the sacking of then Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Christopher Musa. Although media reports linked the cancellation of the parade to the alleged plot, the DHQ explained that it was called off to allow the President to “attend a strategic bilateral meeting outside the country.”
The DHQ finally admitted that there was indeed a coup to oust Mr Tinubu’s government, adding that the indicted officers will be arraigned before military judicial panels.
Drawing on interviews with intelligence sources, our report has extensively reported on the conspiracy starting with the initial arrest of 16 serving military officers in September. By February, 40 people, including senior military officers across the armed forces, a police officer, and civilians allegedly involved in reconnaissance, funding and propaganda operations, had been arrested in connection with the conspiracy.
