They plotted to overthrow a sitting president. They recruited junior officers. They had a plan, a target, and a timeline. And according to Nigeria's Defence Minister, they were so weak and so foolish that ordinary Nigerian civilians could have stopped them without the military lifting a finger. That is the stinging verdict General Christopher Musa delivered on Friday — and it is as damning an assessment of a coup plot as you will ever hear.
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| Nigeria's Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa (rtd), described the October 2025 coup plotters as confused and foolhardy during an appearance on Arise News on Friday, May 29, 2026. Photo: State House/Ministry of Defence |
"Foolhardy" — Musa's Blunt Verdict
Defence Minister Christopher Musa spoke on Arise News on Friday, as the general court martial of officers accused of involvement in the October 2025 plot continues. "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," he said.
The minister expressed disbelief at the calibre of those involved, saying he shook his head when he considered who they were. "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," he said.
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| The general court martial of officers accused of plotting to overthrow President Tinubu's government is currently ongoing in Nigeria. Photo: Nigerian Army/Defence HQ |
Junior Officers Used as Pawns
Musa reserved particular sympathy for the lower-ranked officers, whom he described as victims of a senior officer's recklessness.
The Defence Minister revealed that the entire plot stemmed from a disgruntled colonel who failed his promotion exams — and this officer then dragged unsuspecting junior personnel into the doomed operation without any broader institutional or public backing.
It is a picture of a coup built not on ideology or organisation — but on bitterness, bruised ego, and catastrophically poor judgment.
The Man Behind the Plot
Referring to the leader of the coup, Mohammed Ma'aji, a colonel, the defence minister said he was disgruntled "because he was not promoted."
The plot, according to earlier disclosures by the minister, 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.
A man who could not pass his promotion exam nearly plunged Nigeria into constitutional crisis. That is the reality the minister is laying bare.
Musa Was a Target Too
This is not just an academic discussion for the Defence Minister. Musa confirmed that he was among the individuals targeted for arrest or assassination in the foiled coup plot. "I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot," he said.
A minister who was personally marked for elimination is now the one standing before cameras calling the whole enterprise foolhardy. It is a remarkable turn of events — and a powerful symbol of just how completely the plot collapsed.
A Warning to Anyone Still Thinking About It
Musa sent a direct warning to anyone with similar ambitions, stating: "Anybody who is thinking of planning a coup, I think he's just wasting their time. Even the civilians in Nigeria will have taken them down. So, I think it was just foolhardy for them to have tried what they wanted to do."
He also used the occasion to restate the case for democracy over military rule, saying the plotters had misjudged the national mood entirely. "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.
What Happens Next
The general court martial is ongoing. The officers who allowed themselves to be pulled into this enterprise by a failed colonel now face the full weight of military justice. And the Defence Minister has made one thing unmistakably clear — Nigeria's democracy is not as fragile as its enemies assume. The institutions held. The intelligence agencies acted. And according to General Musa, even if they had not — the Nigerian people would have finished the job themselves.
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