The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), has disclosed that he was marked for assassination by officers implicated in an alleged coup plot against the Federal Government.

General Musa made the revelation on Sunday night during an appearance on Channels Television’s One-on-One programme, where he said the plot to overthrow the government had been set in motion even before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office.

According to him, the coup plotters planned to kill him immediately after his arrest if their attempt to seize power had succeeded.“I was also a target, I am sure you know,” Musa, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), said during the programme. “I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot.”

The Defence Minister described the suspects as disgruntled and unserious elements who were fully aware of the consequences of their actions and should now face the law following their arrest and detention.

In October last year, the military announced the arrest of 16 officers over acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations. The arrests occurred before Musa retired from active military service and was later appointed Minister of Defence by President Tinubu.

Musa explained that most of those allegedly involved in the plot were junior officers of low ranks who lacked access to strategic military weapon depots, stressing that a coup could not succeed under such circumstances.

He further noted that staging a successful coup in modern-day Nigeria is extremely difficult, unlike in earlier years when military takeovers were more feasible.

Providing insight into the motivation behind the alleged plot, Musa said the dissident officers were individuals who failed promotion examinations and became aggrieved.

He added that promotion within the Armed Forces is highly competitive and dependent on passing mandatory assessments.

Meanwhile, authorities last week confirmed that investigations had identified several officers accused of plotting to overthrow the government—acts described as inconsistent with the ethics, values, and professional standards of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).

In a statement, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said officers found to have cases to answer would be formally arraigned before appropriate military judicial panels.“

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,” Uba said.

By Richard Akinnola

Since the army authorities came out last week to confirm the detention of some army officers over alleged coup plot, there have been a number of media stories regarding the alleged roles played by some of the officers.

While many of us are unreservedly opposed to any coup plot or military intervention in our governance, l think some of these stories against some of the officers are prejudicial and amount to media trial. We saw a bit of similar show in 1995 when the Abacha government falsely accused Generals Obasanjo, Shehu Yar’Adua and others of what turned out to be a phantom coup plot. A number of fallacious claims against them were dished to media, which turned out to be false.

Few days after the Orkar coup of April 22, 1990, a journalist with Concord, Onoise Osunbor was arrested as a suspect because he lived with one of the suspects at Ikeja Cantonment and being a journalist, he was naturally suspected to have been the person who must have written the coup speech for them. It didn’t occur to the investigators that such a badly written speech couldn’t have been written by a senior journalist.

It took a couple of meetings by some of us at the leadership of Lagos NUJ then – myself, late Ladi Lawal, Kayode Komolafe, Owei Lakemfa, with Col. Haliru Akilu, the Director of DMI at both DMI office, Bonny Camp and SSS office, Ikoyi to get Onoise out of detention.

Having said this, l hope that when the army authorities are ready to put them on trial, they would be charged before the regular court and not the military court martial because their alleged offence, whether treason or treasonable felony, is against the State.

We had a similar situation in 1982 when a businessman, Alhaji Bukar Mandara was charged for treason before the Federal High court, when he was accused of procuring some soldiers to plan a coup to topple the democratic government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari. I posted this in October last year. I would repost it.

Meanwhile, we shall continue our advocacy against military rule. It has no place in our political development. Military governments are evil and retrogressive.

Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI have disrupted a significant illicit drug supply network allegedly used to sustain Boko Haram terrorist elements. The operation, conducted under Operation DESERT SANITY V, led to the arrest of a 65-year-old suspected drug dealer and the seizure of a large quantity of cannabis sativa.

In a statement, the Media Information Officer of Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, detailed the operation. Acting on credible intelligence on 23 January 2026, troops apprehended the suspect, Hauwa Abulazeez, in Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State. She is alleged to be a key supplier of cannabis sativa to terrorists operating in several areas and a principal conduit for distribution across communities within the Theatre.

Preliminary investigations indicate the suspect sourced the illicit substance from Sarti Baruwa LGA in Taraba State, transporting it via established supply routes. During the operation, troops recovered 14 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa, with an estimated total weight of 30 kilograms. Lieutenant Colonel Uba stated that this interception represents a significant blow to logistics intended to sustain illicit activities. The suspect is in custody for preliminary investigation, with follow-up actions ongoing to dismantle the wider trafficking network.

Uba emphasized that the interception underscores the critical impact of denying illicit supply chains that fuel violence and instability. By disrupting these networks, the operation contributes to improved security, reduced criminal influence, and the reinforcement of lawful authority in the region.

The officer reiterated the force’s resolve, stating that OPHK remains unwavering in confronting all forms of criminality. Through sustained intelligence-driven operations, troops will persist in denying criminal networks the space and resources to operate until enduring peace is achieved. Sani Uba confirmed that Operation HADIN KAI will maintain continuous pressure across the Theatre.