By Luka Binniyat
ABUJA – The Nigerian military authority Jan 26 reversed its October 2025 denial that there was a coup plot to topple the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, affirming that indeed there was such an attempt.
In a statement signed by Maj. Gen. Samiala Uba, Director, Defence Information, Monday (26 January 2026) the Nigeria Military reads:
“The comprehensive investigation process, conducted in accordance with established military procedures, has carefully examined all circumstances surrounding the conduct of the affected personnel.
“The findings have identified a number of the officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government which is inconsistent with the ethics, values and professional standards required of members of the AFN,” the statement said, affirming what it had earlier strongly denied.
“Accordingly, those with cases to answer will be formally arraigned before an appropriate military judicial panel to face trial in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and other applicable service regulations.”
The DHQ has released the full names and states of origin of the 16 officers now facing trial, revealing a cross-section of Army, Navy and Air Force personnel:
Names, Ranks, Corps, and States of Origin
Brigadier General Musa Abubakar Sadiq – Nasarawa State (Infantry)
Colonel M. A. Ma’aji – Niger State (Infantry)
Lieutenant Colonel S. Bappah – Bauchi State (Signals)
Lieutenant Colonel A. A. Hayatu – Kaduna State (Infantry)
Lieutenant Colonel Dangnan – Plateau State (Infantry)
Lieutenant Colonel M. Almakura – Nasarawa State (Infantry)
Major A. J. Ibrahim – Gombe State (Infantry)
Major M. M. Jiddah – Katsina State (Infantry)
Major M. A. Usman – Federal Capital Territory (Infantry)
Major D. Yusuf – Gombe State (Infantry)
Major I. Dauda – Jigawa State (Infantry)
Captain I. Bello – (service entry via Direct Short Service Commission)
Captain A. A. Yusuf – (state not specified)
Lieutenant S. S. Felix – (service entry via Direct Short Service Commission)
Lieutenant Commander D. B. Abdullahi – Nigerian Navy
Squadron Leader S. B. Adamu – Nigerian Air Force
The officers come from a range of regions in Nigeria, mostly from the Muslim North and the Federal Capital Territory, with a few from other geopolitical zones.
Frustration and Discontentment
Analysts say several factors may have combined to fuel the alleged conspiracy.
An insider in the military who spoke to TruthNigeria on grounds of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the press said that some officers were unhappy over what they said were “stalled careers, failed promotion exams, poor postings and a general decline in morale.”
Economic Toll and Politics
“Such grievances are not new, but they can become dangerous when mixed with wider political and economic frustration,” said one of the sources.
“Beyond the barracks, there is growing resentment in parts of the Muslim North against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” a serving Military officer told TruthNigeria in Abuja, Tuesday.
“Both here (Barracks) and outside the Barracks where Muslims from the north are gathered in the majority, you hear them accuse the President of favoring his Yoruba ethnic group in key appointments and policies, while paying less attention to the Muslim North,” he said.
The fact is, food prices surged sharply following economic reforms, especially around the time of the said coup plot, Thisday has reported.
“Another sensitive issue is Tinubu’s hard stance against Fulani bandits and terrorist groups operating across the Northwest and Northeast,” another source told TruthNigeria from Abuja, Tuesday.
“While many Nigerians support tougher security action, some Fulani and Kanuri elites are unhappy, seeing the crackdown as targeting their ethnicities and cutting down their young ones who they believe are fighting a holy war,” he said.
The security sources suggest that a few powerful figures from these groups, who may have also lost influence or economic benefits due to the government’s policies, could be quietly sympathetic to destabilizing plots.
There is also a political paradox that has caused bitterness. Although both Tinubu and his Vice President, Kashim Shettima, are Muslims, some northern Muslims believe that Christians from the Middle Belt have enjoyed more federal attention and appointments than Muslims from the core North. This perception has fed a sense of betrayal among certain northern Muslim elites, including Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna state, who expected greater influence under a Muslim–Muslim ticket, reported Abuja Network News.
Prof. Emma Musa of the Department of Sociology and Criminology, Niger State University, Lapai, however noted that the said failed coup plot in Nigeria may have drawn inspiration from the wave of coups in West Africa before October 2025, even if the plotters were only wannabes who misread Nigeria’s realities.
Coup Contagion Effect
“From 2020 to 2024, military takeovers became disturbingly common in the sub-region, creating what we call a “coup contagion effect,” in Security Studies,” he said.
“This is where officers in other countries begin to see coups as possible and even acceptable,” he added.
“The most notable successful coups were in Mali (2020 and 2021), Guinea (2021), Burkina Faso (2022) and Niger (2023).
“In these countries, coup leaders were openly celebrated by street crowds, especially youths angry over poverty, insecurity and corruption, he went on to say.
“Military rulers were portrayed as “liberators. That created a narrative that circulated widely on social media across West Africa, including Nigeria,” said.
Nigeria’ Coup History at a Glance
Nigeria’s Coups Grouped by Region of Plotters
1. 15 Jan 1966 – Bloody
Plotters: Chiefly South-East & Middle Belt junior officers
Reason: Ideological, anti-corruption, but ethnically imbalanced outcomes
2. 29 Jul 1966 – Very bloody
Plotters: Northern officers
Reasons: Retaliatory, ethnic and political grievance
3. 29 Jul 1975 – Bloodless
Plotters: Mixed (North & Middle Belt)
Reason: Elite consensus against weak leadership
4. 13 Feb 1976 (failed)– Bloody
Plotter: Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka (Middle Belt)
Reason: Personal grievance, poor coordination
5. 31st Dec 1983 (Successful) – Bloodless
Plotter. Maj. Gen Muhammadu Buhari (North) and Officers from the Middle Belt.
Reason: Corruption and Economic woes
6. 27th Aug 1985 (Successful)
Plotters: Brig. Ibrahim Babangida (North) and officers from the Middle Belt.
Reason: Dictatorship
7. 22 Apr 1990 (failed) – Very bloody
Plotter: Major Gideon Orkar (Middle Belt)
Reasons: Radical ideology, attempt to restructure Nigeria
8. 17 Nov 1993 (Successful) – Bloodless
Plotters: Northern-dominated high command led by Gen. Sani Abacha
9. December 1997 (rumored coup):
Plotter: Oladipo Diya (Western region)
Reason (Dictatorship)
(compiled by TruthNigeria.com)
Luka Binniyat writes for TruthNigeria on Politics and Conflict from Kaduna.
