Nigeria has been rocked by revelations from a confidential military investigation that appears to unmask the alleged architect behind a foiled plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu and the findings raise unsettling questions about discipline, loyalty and ambition within the nation’s armed forces.
According to an interim report a serving Army Colonel whose identity has been withheld is at the centre of a clandestine conspiracy aimed at toppling the democratically elected government and destabilising the country’s constitutional order.
Seeds of Discontent in the Ranks
The report paints a picture of deep personal grievance. Frustrated by repeated failures in promotion, the Colonel allegedly leveraged his professional resentment to build an underground network of like-minded officers across the Army, Navy and Air Force. These officers, drawn from junior and senior ranks alike, are said to have been recruited with promises of financial inducements and shared purpose.
From Surveillance to Strategy
According to investigators, the group’s activities went beyond mere grumbling. Members reportedly conducted covert surveillance of critical national infrastructure, mapping out sensitive locations including the Presidential Villa, major barracks and Nigeria’s busiest airports in Abuja and Lagos in what security sources describe as “early-stage planning” for an insurrection.
Searches of the Colonel’s vehicle allegedly uncovered unusual items and materials, including charms and anti-government writings, while a raid on his residence in Lokogoma, Abuja, yielded sensitive documents outlining assigned roles and hypothetical actions against top officials.
A Broader Net of Suspects
In October 2025, the Defence Headquarters announced the arrest of 16 military personnel from captains to brigadier general over “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.” Although at the time the military publicly framed the arrests as internal disciplinary matters, the new report suggests these officers were part of the same secretive network.
Defence authorities have now concluded their investigation and say the findings have been forwarded to superior military authorities for further action, with plans to arraign the implicated officers before military judicial panels.
Unanswered Questions and Political Ripples
While the Colonel’s motives are linked in the report to professional frustration, some sources outside the official investigation suggest the conspiracy may extend into financial and political circles beyond the barracks, a claim still under scrutiny by security agencies.
The alleged plot — set to unfold in late October 2025 — reportedly earmarked not just the government’s leadership but also top service chiefs and ministers as part of its target list. That the conspiracy was detected before execution has been hailed by officials as a testament to Nigeria’s intelligence capabilities, even as questions linger about how such a network grew within the Armed Forces.
A Nation on Edge
The incident has stirred debate across Nigeria’s political and security establishment, coming against a backdrop of regional instability in West Africa and recurring concerns about civil-military relations in the country. Whether this episode will lead to broader reforms within the military or further fractures remains to be seen — but for now, the investigation’s revelations mark one of the most serious internal threats to the Tinubu administration since it took office.
