Christopher Musa to coup plotters: ‘Nigerians will take you down’

Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has warned that anyone planning a coup in Nigeria is wasting his time, saying Nigerians themselves would resist any attempt to overthrow democratic rule.

Musa spoke on Friday during an interview on Arise Television while reacting to the ongoing prosecution of military and police officers, as well as civilians, over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government.

The minister, who was Chief of Defence Staff at the time the alleged coup plot was being investigated, described those linked to the plan as “a bunch of confused individuals.”

According to him, the alleged plotters exposed junior officers to a dangerous and needless adventure that could have ruined their careers and lives.

“What we are trying to do now is to show the junior ones that coup doesn’t pay anything. Democracy is far better than any military regime,” Musa said.

“I just looked at the people that were involved, and I shook my head because they are just a bunch of confused individuals that exposed junior officers that didn’t know their left from their right and put them into this mess.”

Musa said the suspects were being given the opportunity to defend themselves before the law, adding that the military authorities followed due process after the alleged plot was uncovered.

He said he was part of the team that reported the matter, identified the suspects and investigated the case before prosecution commenced.

The minister said there was no justification for any officer to contemplate a coup, insisting that the armed forces had continued to receive attention from the government.

He said salaries had been paid regularly, efforts were being made to improve allowances, and troops were receiving more equipment to strengthen ongoing operations.

“It’s quite unfortunate what they did. They had no reason to do that. The country was going very well, the armed forces are being taken care of quite very well,” he said.

“We’ve never had issues with our salaries. Efforts have been made to even increase our allowances. Our troops are doing quite very well. We’re getting more equipment to fight.”

Musa warned that any fresh attempt to plot against democracy would fail, saying Nigerians would not tolerate a return to military rule.

“Anybody who is thinking of planning a coup is just wasting their time,” he said.

“Even the civilians in Nigeria will have taken them down.”

The alleged coup plot first drew public attention after the Federal Government cancelled the parade earlier scheduled for Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary on October 1, 2025.

Reports later linked the cancellation to an alleged coup attempt.

In January 2026, the Defence Headquarters confirmed that there had been a plot to overthrow the Tinubu administration.

Military officers, police officers and civilians accused of involvement are currently facing prosecution