BREAKING: Military Concludes Investigation, Indicts Officers Over Alleged Plot to Overthrow Tinubu’s Government
The Defence Headquarters has confirmed that investigations into 16 serving military officers earlier arrested for acts of indiscipline and violations of service regulations have been concluded, with findings indicating that some of the officers were allegedly involved in a plot to overthrow the government.
In a press statement issued on Monday and signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, the Armed Forces of Nigeria said the outcome of the investigation has been forwarded to appropriate superior authorities in line with existing military regulations, PulseNets learnt.
According to the statement obtained by PulseNets, the military recalled that the Defence Headquarters had earlier announced the arrest of the officers in October 2025.
“It will be recalled that the Defence Headquarters, in October 2025, issued a press release on the arrest of sixteen officers over acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations,” the statement noted.
The Armed Forces explained that a thorough investigative process, conducted strictly in line with established military procedures, reviewed the conduct and activities of the affected personnel.
PulseNets reported that the investigation revealed that some of the officers were allegedly linked to actions considered incompatible with the professional obligations of the military.
“The findings identified a number of the officers with allegations bordering on plotting to overthrow the government, an act that runs contrary to the ethics, values and professional standards expected of personnel of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” the military stated.
The Defence Headquarters further disclosed that officers found to have a case to answer would be subjected to trial in line with the Armed Forces Act and relevant service regulations.
“Accordingly, those found to have a case to answer will be arraigned before the appropriate military judicial panels to face trial as provided by the Armed Forces Act and other applicable service regulations,” the statement added.
Emphasising that the process remains an internal military matter, the Armed Forces insisted that the steps being taken are purely disciplinary.
“The measures being undertaken are strictly internal disciplinary actions and form part of the institutional mechanisms designed to sustain order, discipline and operational effectiveness within the Armed Forces,” the statement said, adding that the military remains “fully committed to professionalism, loyalty and respect for constitutional authority.”
The confirmation by the Defence Headquarters comes several months after SaharaReporters first reported in October 2025 that officers drawn from the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force were arrested in Abuja over an alleged plot against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
At the time, both the Defence Headquarters and the Presidency publicly denied that the arrests were linked to any coup plot, maintaining that the matter was strictly related to internal disciplinary issues.
However, multiple senior security sources later told PulseNets that the Defence Intelligence Agency had submitted a comprehensive report of its internal investigation to President Tinubu after more than two months of interrogations and internal reviews.
According to the officials, while the probe was officially described as focusing on indiscipline and breaches of service regulations, evidence presented to the President allegedly suggested issues that went beyond routine military infractions.
A senior security source reportedly told PulseNets that the submission of the report marked the conclusion of the investigative phase and paved the way for presidential directives on the next course of action.
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters had reported on January 23, 2026, that at least five of the detained officers reportedly fell ill while in custody, with two said to have collapsed due to deteriorating health conditions.
Sources disclosed that the officers were allegedly moved from an initial Defence Intelligence Agency detention facility to an underground military cell in Abuja, described as poorly ventilated and lacking adequate lighting.
Families of the detained officers have repeatedly raised concerns over what they described as inhumane treatment, prolonged incommunicado detention and denial of access to lawyers and relatives.
Some spouses told SaharaReporters that they were neither informed of transfers between detention facilities nor allowed to visit the officers since their arrest.
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The matter also attracted political attention following reports that military operatives raided the Maitama, Abuja residence of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, in connection with the investigation.
Sylva later confirmed the visit but denied any involvement, describing attempts to link him to the matter as politically motivated.
Despite earlier official denials of any coup-related motive, the latest statement by the Defence Headquarters now formally acknowledges that allegations of plotting to overthrow the government formed part of the findings against some of the detained officers.
