iDeemlawfulChristopher Musa, Nigeria’s minister of defence, has said the alleged coup plotters planned to shoot him if he resisted arrest.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Sunday, Musa disclosed that he was a prime “target” of the military officers behind the foiled coup.
The minister, who was serving as chief of defence staff when the plot was allegedly conceived, said the masterminds understood the gravity of their actions.
Musa described the coup plotters as “unserious individuals”, adding that he could not comprehend their line of thinking.
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“I was also a target. I am sure you know. I was supposed to be arrested and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot,” he said.
“Anybody who goes into a coup… because you succeed, good, you don’t succeed, whatever the consequences come, you are ready for it.
“But again, these guys were just a bunch of very unserious individuals. If you look at the calibre of persons (the coup plotters), I don’t know what got into their heads that they could take on the Armed Forces like that. Even Nigerians would have fought them.”
In October 2025, the federal government announced the cancellation of activities planned to mark the nation’s 65th independence anniversary.
Shortly after, reports emerged linking the cancellation of the independence celebrations to an alleged coup attempt.
The defence headquarters (DHQ), however, dismissed the claims, insisting that the decision had no connection to any coup plot.
The DHQ also stated that the arrest of 16 officers mentioned in the reports was not related to any attempt to overthrow the government.
On October 31, 2025, TheCable reported that 16 military officers were arrested in the first week of the month over the alleged coup attempt, while two others were said to be on the run.
On January 26, the DHQ eventually confirmed that there had been a plot to remove President Bola Tinubu from office.
The military said the plot was uncovered in late September 2025 through joint intelligence by the army, the Department of State Services, and the Defence Intelligence Agency, and allegedly included plans to assassinate Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, and other senior government officials, as well as arrest top military leaders.