About 30 officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) are in custody following investigations on alleged plan to derail the nation’s democracy and overthrow the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Though investigation are still ongoing, the officers of the mainly Nigerian Army were arrested across various locations in the country.
But Defence Headquarters (DHQ) however distanced the military with any alleged coup d’etat, stating that “ongoing investigation involving the sixteen officers is a routine internal process aimed at ensuring discipline and professionalism is maintained within the ranks.
“An investigative panel has been duly constituted, and its findings would be made public.”
Sources confirmed that officers arrested so far includes two Brigadier Generals, Colonels, Lieutenant Colonels and junior rank officers from the various services.
One of the Brigadier Generals, M. A. Sadiq, was as Commander of 3 Brigade Kano detained by the military police in Abuja in October last year over alleged diversion of rice palliatives, selling of military equipment, including generator sets and operational vehicles, to scrap yards. Another of the Brigadier Generals is from Niger State.
One of the Lieutenant Colonels is a Battalion Commander under the elite Presidential Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army. Guards Brigade is tasked with providing security for the President and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), perform ceremonial duties, and support military operations. These duties include presidential protection, ceremonial escorts, national day celebrations, and the security of government buildings. They are also responsible for counter-intelligence and crowd control to protect the Presidential Villa, as well as maintaining law and order within the FCT and its environs.
A source also noted that most of the officers under custody are either serving as Commanding Officers, Colonels and Captains.
Sources said some of them were arrested in the North East epicentre of the war against Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province (BH/ISWAP), some in Kaduna while other were arrested from different units across the country.
A source noted that “what is perplexing about these disgruntled officers who wanted to plunge Nigeria into an unnecessary destructive path is that they were foolish enough to establish a WhatsApp platform for communication. What were they thinking, that the intelligence agencies would not infiltrate their platform or burst them? I think we can guess the intelligence quotient of the type of officers and people who want to topple Nigeria’s democratic experiment.”
Another source also noted that “investigations are widening its tentacles to the possible involvement of any non-military personnel either through logistics or financial supports. If they had succeeded, they would have thrown Nigeria into a Sudanese-like crisis.”
Meanwhile, Defence Headquarters (DHQ), in a statement on Saturday October 18, 2025 by Director Defence Information (DDI), Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, described as “false and misleading” reports “insinuating that the cancellation of activities marking Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary was linked to an alleged attempted military coup.”
General Gusau said in a statement titled “DHQ NEVER MENTIONED ANY COUP ATTEMPT” that “the report also made spurious references to the recent DHQ press release announcing the arrest of sixteen officers currently under investigation for professional misconduct.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) wishes to categorically state that the claims by the said publication are entirely false, malicious, and intended to cause unnecessary tension and distrust among the populace. The decision regarding the cancellation of 65th independence anniversary parade was to allow Mr President attend a strategic bilateral meeting outside the country and for members of the AFN to sustain the momentum on the fight against terrorism, insurgency and banditry.
“Furthermore, the DHQ wishes to reassure Nigerians that the ongoing investigation involving the sixteen officers is a routine internal process aimed at ensuring discipline and professionalism is maintained within the ranks. An investigative panel has been duly constituted, and its findings would be made public.
“The DHQ calls on all peace loving citizens to continue to provide necessary support to the security agents. The FG, the legislature and the judiciary are working closely for the safety, development and wellbeing of the nation. Democracy is forever.
“The DHQ urges members of the public to disregard the falsehood being circulated by the purveyors of misinformation and enemies of our nation. The Armed Forces of Nigeria remains firmly loyal to the Constitution and the Federal government under the leadership of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.”
On October 4, 2025, General Gusau said in a statement: “The Armed Forces of Nigeria wishes to inform the public that a routine military exercise has resulted in the arrest of 16 officers over issues of indiscipline and breach of service regulations.
“Investigations revealed that their grievances stemmed largely from perceived career stagnation caused by repeated failure in promotion examinations, among other issues.
“Some of the apprehended officers had been under jurisdiction for various offences, either awaiting or undergoing trial. Their conduct was deemed incompatible with the standards of military service.”
An online publication, SaharaReporters had earlier reported that 16 senior military officers have been detained over alleged coup d’etat.
The publication quoted a senior official of Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) involved in the arrests that the officers led by an Army Brigadier General were planning to stage a coup and take over government from “selfish politicians.”
He said the coup attempt was thwarted after an intelligence gathering by the DIA and sister agencies.
“The 16 officers were planning a coup. The military authorities were just being diplomatic in the statement released by the spokesperson. They have started doing secret meetings on how to overthrow the President and other top government officials,” the source told SaharaReporters.
“They’re all officers within the rank of Captain to Brigadier-General and are still in detention at DIA as we talk. They were picked recently at their various houses around the country. Their main objective was to overthrow President Tinubu and announce a military government.”
SaharaReporters also added that the October 1 Independence Day parade was cancelled because of the coup attempt.
It quoted the source as saying: “Yes, they were arrested for planning to stage a coup and take over government. That was the main reason why the Independence Day parade scheduled to hold on Wednesday, October 1 as part of activities marking the country’s 65th Independence Anniversary was cancelled.
“This was because intelligence reports showed they planned the coup on October 1st during a military parade. So the National Security Adviser and other service chiefs asked the Tinubu-led government to cancel the parade earlier scheduled to mark the day.
“Their plan was to the President, Service Chiefs, and other top politicians hostage during or after the event. The move by the military authorities announcing their arrests was to douse tension.”
Sources told Global Upfront Newspapers (GUN) that many arrests are still expected to be made in coming days in the ongoing investigations within the AFN.
