Christopher Musa, minister of defence, has revealed that he was one of the primary targets in a foiled coup plot aimed at toppling President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government.
In an exclusive interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, General Musa disclosed that the plotters had specifically marked him for elimination, detailing plans to arrest him and execute him if he resisted.
“I was also a target, I am sure you know,” Musa stated during the programme. “I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot.”
Musa, who is the immediate past chief of defence staff (CDS), said that the coup plotters had carefully planned the elimination of key government officials if their attempted takeover was met with resistance.
In October 2025, the Nigerian military confirmed the arrest of 16 officers who were allegedly involved in the plot.
Initially, the military had described the arrests as being due to acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.
However, further investigations revealed evidence of a more sinister plot to overthrow the Tinubu administration.
Major General Samaila Uba, director of defence information, in a statement last week confirmed that the arrested officers’ actions were in violation of the ethical and professional standards of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).
He added: “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 investigation also uncovered that several top government officials and prominent national figures had been selected for elimination as part of the coup plan.
