Tinubu: Fresh Update Emerges on Alleged Coup Plot Against Nigerian President
- Military report on coup plot implicated 16 detained officers in violation of service regulations
- Speculation grew after the cancellation of the 2025 Independence Day parade in Abuja
- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has received an investigation report, with key decisions pending on the detained officers
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - The military has submitted the report of its investigation into what it described as “indiscipline and breach of service regulations” by the 16 detained officers, who were allegedly linked to a coup plot against President Bola Tinubu.
As reported on Monday, January 26, by Daily Trust, the report was submitted to the incumbent Nigerian leader.
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Military submits report on coup
The presidency and security sources disclosed that the report was tendered to the president after grilling and investigations carried out by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Legit.ng recalls that the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) in Nigeria detained the 16 suspects in 2025.
The arrests were officially announced on October 4, 2025, and on October 18, the military issued a fresh statement insisting the case is purely disciplinary. However, multiple military sources insist the officers are being held over a failed coup plot.
Speculation intensified after the cancellation of the October 1 Independence Day parade, only the second such cancellation since the return to democracy in 1999, after 2010’s Abuja bombings. The 2025 ceremony was scaled down and moved to the presidential villa, a decision that many observers read as a sign of heightened security concerns.
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The alleged plot surfaces as parts of Africa see renewed military intervention in politics. Since 2020, countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Guinea-Bissau have fallen under juntas and have quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a blow to a bloc Nigeria helped shape, including under President Tinubu’s recent chairmanship.
Tinubu receives report on coup
In its report, Daily Trust cited "a source privy to the investigation" in Nigeria as saying the report had been submitted to President Tinubu.
According to him, a decision by the president on the report “will allow further actions.”
The source shared:
“Those who were tasked to investigate the involvement of the officers have concluded their job, and they have submitted the report to the president, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”
In the same vein, the newspaper stated that "a highly placed source at the Presidential Villa" informed the Nigerian president that the coup attempt was real.
The source said:
“They (military authorities) briefed Mr President that it (the attempt to stage a coup) was real. The report clearly showed that there was an attempt by the detained officers to do what the media reported they planned to do.
“The Brigadier-General among them was picked because it was discovered that he was aware of the plot but did not report it."
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Coup plot: Expert preaches good governance
Meanwhile, Sulaimon Adigun Muse, a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science Education at Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), said good governance is the most effective, sustainable, and proactive method to prevent military coups, as it addresses the root causes of instability.
Muse, the president of the Global Academy of Political Entrepreneurship and Leadership (GAPEL), explained that by prioritising transparency, accountability, the rule of law, and economic development, governments can build trust with citizens, reducing the grievances that often fuel military takeovers.
He told Legit.ng:
"It is important to give good governance. That would make military coup unpopular. But when there is bad governance, there would be people who would be asking for military rule, especially people who have not witnessed it before."
Additionally, Muse called for strong vigilance.
He said:
"Nobody can say military cannot take over government. All we need to do is make sure that we block all the avenues that the enemies of the Nigerian state can exploit. Once we block those avenues, we know that we are safe."
Ex-APC aspirant predicts coup defeat
Legit.ng earlier reported that Adamu Garba, a former presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), asserted that no coup campaign or plot 'will survive' in Nigeria.
Garba stated that in the event a coup is planned, "international actors will come in, dismantle the plotters and restore democracy."
Source: Legit.ng
