The Defence Minister Christopher Musa has declared that the alleged coup plotters to terminate President Bola Tinubu administration are fools who have no moral justification to embark on such.
Penpushing reports that the Minister stated this while featuring as guest on a television programme, and reserved particular sympathy for the lower-ranked officers involved, whom he described as victims of a senior officer’s recklessness.
The Defence Minister emphasized that the alleged coupists had so little support that ordinary Nigerians would have taken them down without the military’s intervention, describing them as a band of confused individuals who recklessly dragged clueless junior officers into a doomed enterprise.
“Even the civilians in Nigeria would have taken them down. So, I think it was just foolhardy for them to have done what they wanted to do. I just looked at the people that were involved and I shook my head, because they are just a bunch of confused individuals that exposed very junior officers who didn’t know their left from their right, and now put them into this mess. It’s quite unfortunate, we always feel bad when we see our colleagues in this situation. But the good thing is that the system has a way of going about it,” he said.
Penpushing further reports that Musa expressed disbelief at the calibre of those involved, saying he shook his head when he considered who they were, and on the ongoing prosecution, said the process was transparent and that the accused were being given every opportunity to defend themselves.
“The investigation was very thorough. The prosecution is now ongoing, and the court martial will go as planned. We are giving them all the benefits to defend themselves. But the facts on the ground are very, very clear, and I can tell you that we are following all the processes. Nothing is hidden,” he said.
Penpushing also reports that Musa stated that he was equally emphatic that the plot had no rational basis, given the state of the armed forces, stressing that the country was going on well, adding that the armed forces have been taken care of quite well.
“They had no reason to do that. The country was going very well. The armed forces have been taken care of quite well. We’ve never had issues with our salaries. Efforts have been made to even increase our allowances. Our troops are doing quite well,” he said.
Penpushing reports that Musa emphasized that the coup plotters had misjudged the national mood entirely, pointing out that democracy is far better than military regime, and restated the case for democracy over military rule.
“Democracy is far, far better than any military regime. And so this is an opportunity to show the junior ones that this coup doesn’t pay,” he said.
Penpushing further reports that he disclosed that the plot predated the Tinubu administration and centred on a disgruntled colonel who had failed the examination for promotion to the rank of brigadier-general.
The conspiracy first emerged in late September 2025 after intelligence was received by the Nigerian Army and the State Security Service, with the original plan said to have targeted the May 29, 2023 presidential inauguration.
Penpushing also reports that it would be recalled that the Defence Headquarters earlier denied any coup attempt, insisting the arrested officers were only undergoing routine internal scrutiny, even as raids linked to the investigation, including a search of the Abuja residence of former Governor of Bayelsa State Timipre Sylva, continued to widen its scope.
Meanwhile, about three months after the initial denials, the military confirmed that the detained officers would face trial before a court martial.
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