A covert intelligence operation coordinated by the Army Headquarters and the Department of State Security (DSS) uncovered and foiled an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration and assassinate key political leaders.

Senior government and security sources revealed that the plot began to unravel in late September 2025, when an unnamed serving military officer with first-hand knowledge of the scheme reached out to the then Chief of Army Staff, Olufemi Oluyede. The officer reportedly disclosed the plan out of fear that failure to alert authorities could implicate him as an accessory to treason.

Around the same period, the DSS independently gathered intelligence suggesting that a group of serving army officers were plotting to destabilise the government and undermine Nigeria’s democratic order. A senior official familiar with the matter said the Director-General of the DSS, Oluwatosin Ajayi, personally briefed Mr Oluyede on the findings.

With intelligence converging from multiple channels, both security chiefs agreed on the need for immediate action. They authorised a discreet, nationwide joint operation involving the army and the DSS, with coordinated arrests designed to neutralise the alleged masterminds and their collaborators.

On 30 September 2025, while President Tinubu was on an official visit to Imo State—unaware of the alleged plan to depose and possibly assassinate him—the operation was executed. Several suspects, including key military and civilian figures believed to be central to the plot, were arrested across different locations.

The Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Emmanuel Undiandeye, and the then Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, were subsequently briefed. Mr Undiandeye was directed to detain the suspects at the underground holding facility of the Defence Intelligence Agency.

After the initial arrests, President Tinubu was formally informed of the foiled plot. Sources said the president, visibly shaken by the briefing, immediately ordered the cancellation of the 1 October Independence Day parade. He also approved the setting up of a special investigative panel, chaired by Mr Undiandeye, which later led to further arrests.

During the investigation, one detained soldier reportedly escaped from custody but was later rearrested by DSS operatives in Bauchi. Meanwhile, a retired senior officer identified as General Adamu and a former governor, Timipre Sylva, accused of financing the plot, were said to have gone into hiding.

In the aftermath, President Tinubu dismissed and retired General Musa, alongside the chiefs of the navy and air force. Mr Oluyede was subsequently appointed Chief of Defence Staff and promoted to the rank of General. Weeks later, General Musa returned to government as Minister of Defence.

In a statement issued on 4 October, Defence Headquarters said the arrested officers were under investigation for “indiscipline and breach of service regulations,” noting that preliminary findings linked their grievances to career stagnation and failure in promotion examinations.

Despite mounting evidence and detailed media reports, the military initially denied that a coup plot existed. In an 18 October statement, Defence Headquarters described the probe involving 16 officers as a routine internal investigation aimed at maintaining discipline and professionalism within the armed forces.

However, on 26 January, the military publicly acknowledged for the first time that some officers had indeed plotted to illegally overthrow President Tinubu’s administration. It announced that those indicted would be arraigned before a military judicial panel.

According to Defence Headquarters, the investigation was “comprehensive” and conducted in line with established procedures, examining all circumstances surrounding the conduct of the affected personnel. The findings, it said, revealed that several officers were involved in acts “inconsistent with the ethics, values and professional standards required of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”

“Accordingly, 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 statement added.

Alleged targets of the plot

Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation identified senior political leaders allegedly marked for assassination. They include President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas.

“There are other people targeted,” one source said, “but those are the key targets.”

The conspirators also reportedly planned to detain, rather than kill, senior military officers, including the service chiefs.

According to the sources, the alleged plan was to carry out the assassinations simultaneously. “They were waiting for a day when all of them would be in the country,” one official said. “Wherever they were, they would be assassinated.”

The plotters were also said to have relied on informants within the Presidential Villa and around the officials targeted for elimination. “They have people inside the Villa who monitor the movements of these officials,” a source claimed. “The plan was to kill them at the same time and install a military government.”