Exclusive: Failed Coup planned against Tinubu driven by ethnicity

By Omolade Adegbuyi and Ahmed Adio

The coup plotters who planned to kill President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and top government officials were motivated by ethnic interests, our correspondents were informed at the weekend.

A senior military officer who prefered anonimity told Irohinoodua in Abuja that the coup would have been one of the blodiest in Nigerian history.

He said the main motive was “primitive ethnic desires of some disgruntled soldiers working with politicians and at least one foreign Embassy.”

Reports of plans to overthrow President Bola Tinubu were first denied by Nigeria authorities but later admitted after initial denial.

The former.Director of Defense Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau had said the coup was a red herring until last Monday when the Military admitted that some officers were arrested for plotting to overthrough President Tinubu through violent means.

He had described the report as an attempt to fan tension and instability and that the matter was a purely internal disciplinary issue.

On Monday, the new Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba admitted that investigation has ended and the coup plotters identified.

The officers arrested who are now in custody were Brig Gen M. A. Sadiq, Col M. A. Maaji, Lt Col S. Bappah, Lt Col A.A. Hayatu, Lt Col P. Dangnap, Lt Col M. Almakura, Maj A. J. Ibrahim, Maj M. M. Jiddah, Maj M.A. Usman, Maj D. Yusuf, Capt I. Bello, Capt A.A. Yusuf, Lt S.S. Felix, Lt Cdr D.B. Abdullahi, Sqn Ldr S.B. Adamu, and Maj I. Dauda.

Col Maaji was said to be the person expected to announce the coup on radio to Nigerians. The operation was scheduled to take place in Lagos and Abuja, simultaneously, the source said.

Our correspondent heard that the DSS, Directorate of Military Intelligence, [DMI] and the current Defense Minister, General Musa worked underground to monitor the coup plotters through meticulous intelligence gathering which involved bogging their phones and plannting spies among the coup plotters who carefully collected information that the Government later used against them.

The source said former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva who secured oil pipeline contract under President Buhari was one of those who funded the coup plottters.

Irohinoodua was informed that though Army Headquarters claimed the plot was motivated by lack of promotion, but the senior officer said the real motive was ethnic.

“These are officers obsessed with power and fascism because it meand rotation of power across Nigeria. They prefer military rule because it makes them not to accont to Nigerians and to sustain ethnic domination,” the source said.

The officer said the ring leader of the coup met some members of opposition including a former Northern Governor and a former Attorney General of the Federation.

The source said “They planned to kill President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima, Senate President Godwin Akpabio,Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila and four state Governors in the South and in the North and all the Service Chiefs including the current Minister of Defense,General Christopher Musa. These officers worked with politicians. It was a purely ethnic agenda. They represent those who wish to retain power in a particular part of the North, that is the North West.”

He described the plotters as a tiny minority that does not represent the interests of the whole North.

The source said the plot was first hatched during the All Progressives Congress, (APC) primary in the year 2023.

“While the APC primary was on-going, they saw that power would shift to the South. Immediately, they compelled former President Mohammadu Buhari to call an emergency meeting attended mainly by top politicians from the North West and a few soldiers. They wanted to stop the primaries and cancel the whole electoral process. It was President Buhari, the then Nigerian Intelligence Agency, (NIA) boss who vigorously opposed the move. The second time they planned the coup was immediately after the election and Tinubu had emerged. The Directorate of State Security,( DSS) and some top military officers stopped them.Their last attempt was what they wanted to carry out on October 1, 2025 through bloody killings,” the source said.

The senior military officer said the courage, determination, intelligence and professionalism of the Director of DSS, Adeola Oluwatoyin Ajayi, the current Minister of Defense, General Musa and the former Chief of Army Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede stopped what could have thrown the country into turmoil.

The source said their plan was to “declare curfew, impose state of emergency, dissolve the State and National Assembly and all State Governors replaced with State administrators.

The source said they would have come up with progressive programmes but that such would have been aimed at deceiving the people.

“They wanted to set up a probe panel to probe politicians,arrest corrupt politicians, promise free education and free health while giving money to traditional and religious leaders to pay solidarity to the new Head of State.

“It was all planned to deceive the people. Leaders of the coup are known to me after their arrest.They are a very corrupt people. They are known tribalists and religious bigots who would have plunged Nigeria into immediate civil war,” the source told Irohinoodua at the weekend. He said they would have set up a new Political Transition Programme that would have led to self secession of the coup plotters.