Nigeria’s Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa (retd.), revealed he was a target for arrest and possible execution by officers allegedly plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.
Musa said he discovered his name was on the list of intended targets, but believes the plotters were “unserious individuals” who underestimated the military and Nigerian people’s resistance.
He made the disclosure on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television.
Though, this is coming days after the military confirmed that 16 officers arrested in October 2025 would be tried over allegations of attempting to stage a coup.
He said: “I was also a target. I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot.
“But that’s the job. And anybody who goes into coup, I mean, zeroes his mind because you know, you succeed good, you don’t succeed, whatever consequences come, you’re ready for it. But again, I think these guys were just a bunch of very unserious individuals that really don’t know.
“If you look at the calibre of the individuals, if you look at, I don’t know what’s got into their heads to think that they could take on the armed forces like that. What I even said was even Nigerians will have fought them. Even without the armed forces, Nigerians would have stood against them. Remember, Nigerians have fought against the military rule for quite some time.”
In October, the military announced the arrest of 16 officers for what it described as acts of indiscipline and violations of service regulations.
However, a statement issued last week said further investigations linked some of the officers to allegations of attempting to overthrow the government, with the actions described as being against the ethics and professional standards of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, said officers found to have a case to answer would be prosecuted before a military judicial panel in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and other relevant service regulations.
He added that the exercise was intended to promote accountability while ensuring fairness and adherence to due process.
