Senior Nigerian military officers have moved sensitive conversations to WhatsApp and in-person meetings after discovering that their phone calls are being monitored, military sources told THE WHISTLER.
This is coming amid criminal proceedings against senior officers arrested in connection with an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.
“The senior officers are aware that their phone calls are being closely monitored,” a military source told THE WHISTLER.
“Some have moved their phone conversations to WhatsApp calls to protect their privacy.”
Rumours of the alleged plot became public in October 2025, after the Tinubu administration cancelled the 65th Independence Anniversary military parade scheduled for October 1 2025, in Abuja.
After months of denials, the Defence Headquarters later confirmed that a group of officers had planned to overthrow President Tinubu.
The government detained over 36 serving military officers, a police officer, and several civilians in connection with the plot. In April, the federal government filed 13 criminal charges against 6 primary suspects at the Federal High Court in Abuja, including a retired major general, on counts of treason, terrorism, and money laundering.
The officers who appeared in court pleaded not guilty. Some are facing a General Court Martial for mutiny and subversion.
A retired general who spoke to THE WHISTLER on condition of anonymity said the surveillance is not entirely new.
“Occasional monitoring of officers’ phone calls has become a norm due to antecedents,” he said, “but the recent attempt to overthrow the president warranted increased surveillance on senior officers.”
He recalled how Major General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), as Chief of Army Staff, overthrew the late Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) in 1985 because Buhari had no intelligence on the plot against him
According to him, every head of state who came after, including Babangida himself, made surveillance of service chiefs and top officers a priority.
Africa has recorded at least 10 successful coups since 2020, across Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Sudan, Chad, Guinea, Gabon, and Guinea-Bissau. In nearly every case, the plotters were serving or recently retired military officers.
The North’s Discontentment
The retired officer said fears of a possible revival of the coup plot are not unfounded.
The North, he said, feels marginalised by the Tinubu administration, particularly over appointments to security leadership and agencies.
However, he said a look at the current security leadership structure shows it is fairly balanced.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, is from Ekiti State in the South-West, while the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, is from Kogi State in the North-Central. The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, is from Kano State in the North-West, while the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, is from Enugu State in the South-East.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, is from Adamawa State in the North-East.
The retired officer added that under Buhari, northerners held the Army, the DSS, and the Nigeria Police Force simultaneously.
Tinubu’s ADC’s Alleged Disrespect
He, however, acknowledged grievances within the Army hierarchy over the rapid promotion of President Tinubu’s aide-de-camp, Col. Nurudeen Yusuf, and his alleged lack of respect.
A separate source had told THE WHISTLER that Yusuf disrespects officers who are his seniors in the military.
In December 2025, Tinubu approved a “special presidential promotion” that would have elevated Yusuf from colonel to brigadier-general barely 12 months after his promotion to colonel. A letter dated December 12, 2025, signed by National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and addressed to the Chief of Army Staff, said Yusuf would remain as ADC despite the new rank.
President Tinubu was later reported to have reversed the promotion request after widespread criticism.
Yusuf, who was crowned as the monarch of Ilemona land in Oyun LGA of Kwara state since July 2024, chose to remain Tinubu’s aide-de-camp.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major-General Marcus Kangye, did not respond to THE WHISTLER‘s text message seeking his reaction.
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