Fresh Revelations Emerge On Why Coup Plotter Wanted to Overthrow Tinubu: "I Was Denied Two Times"
- Colonel Mohammed Ma'aji told investigators he revived the coup plot after missing promotion to brigadier general twice, in 2023 and 2024
- Ma'aji was lured into custody on September 29 after the Chief of Army Staff personally called him with promises of a promotion meeting
- The alleged coup plot involved operational plans for weapons mobilisation and a reconnaissance of the Presidential Villa
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A Nigerian Army colonel at the centre of an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu's government was driven partly by repeated failures to secure a promotion to brigadier general, according to signed statements he made during interrogation.
Colonel Mohammed Ma'aji, 50, from Niger State, told investigators he first began gathering support for a coup in 2023, during the final months of former President Muhammadu Buhari's administration. Beyond his promotion grievances, he cited growing insecurity and what he described as the poor welfare and living conditions of serving and retired military personnel, which he claimed the military leadership had done nothing to fix.
Source: UGC
Ma'aji had already drawn the attention of military authorities in 2023, when he was detained overnight at the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) over claims that politicians were trying to use him to disrupt that year's general elections.
His phone was seized for forensic analysis. He was released without charge after no evidence was found.
After he missed out on promotion a second time in 2024, he said junior officers pressed him to revive the plan, Vanguard reported.
"When I missed my second attempt at promotion to brigadier general in 2024, some of the boys started disturbing and calling on me that we needed to revive the movement again," he said in his statement.
"They were afraid that I might be retired prematurely and that all of us will regret it."
How investigators caught Ma'aji
Military authorities arrested him on September 29, 2025, using his desire for promotion as bait. He received a call directing him to report to House 12 at Niger Barracks, followed shortly after by a personal call from the then Chief of Army Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, who urged him to hurry so they could discuss his career.
The army chief also asked whether he had spoken with a retired major general known as "Bandect," which further convinced Ma'aji the meeting was about his promotion.
"I drove immediately to Niger Barracks House 12 with very high morale because I was excited that my promotion issue was finally receiving attention," he wrote.
By the time he arrived, his alleged plot had advanced to include operational plans covering weapons mobilisation, fundraising and logistics, as well as a reconnaissance of the Presidential Villa carried out with help from a domestic worker inside the building.
When the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lieutenant General Emmanuel Undiandeye, arrived at the meeting and asked Ma'aji to accompany him, the colonel believed he was simply running an errand.
He was instead taken to the DIA headquarters and questioned about the plot, Premium Times reported.
Charges and court martial
Ma'aji appealed in his statement for leniency towards his co-accused, saying their actions were driven by "patriotism, love of country and a genuine desire to have positive change."
The alleged plot first came to light in October 2025. The Defence Headquarters later confirmed an investigation was under way.
Six civilians, including two retired military officers, were charged before the Federal High Court in Abuja in April, while serving officers, including Ma'aji, are standing trial before a court-martial.
Clerics recount alleged meetings with coup suspect
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that investigation records alleged coup suspect Mohammed Ma'aji sought spiritual backing from Islamic clerics, who later told investigators they rejected the alleged plan and urged him to abandon it.
One cleric, Bukar Goni, admitted receiving millions of naira from the colonel for prayers and mosque-related activities, insisting the payments were never meant to support any attempt to overthrow the government. Another cleric, Abdulkadir Sani, said he warned that the alleged coup would fail because insiders would betray it.
Source: Legit.ng
