Coup: ‘I was a target, marked for death’ – Defence Minister Musa

Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has revealed that he was one of the prime targets of a foiled coup plot aimed at overthrowing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

General Musa disclosed this on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, days after the Nigerian military confirmed that about 16 officers arrested in October 2025 will soon face trial over their alleged involvement in the plot.

“I was also a target, I am sure you know,” Musa said during the programme. “I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot.”

The Defence Minister, who is the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), said the plotters had mapped out plans to eliminate key government officials if their plans were resisted.

The military had initially announced in October that the officers were arrested for acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations. However, authorities later confirmed that deeper investigations uncovered evidence linking some of them to an attempt to overthrow the Tinubu administration.

In a statement last week, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said findings showed that the alleged actions of the officers were inconsistent with the ethics and professional standards of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).

“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.

It was also revealed that several top government officials and prominent national figures were allegedly pencilled down for elimination as part of the coup plan.