Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has explained the Nigerian military’s initial denial of reports about a foiled coup plot against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the decision was deliberate and guided by intelligence discipline.
Musa gave the explanation while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, noting that premature disclosure of unverified security information could have undermined investigations and allowed suspects to evade arrest.
According to him, the military leadership chose restraint to ensure that facts were fully established before making any public declaration on such a sensitive national security issue.
“A coup is a very serious matter,” Musa said. “We did not want to rush to the public with information that had not been properly verified. It was important to follow due process so that what we eventually reported would be factual and accurate.”
He explained that details of the alleged plot only became clearer during the course of investigations, adding that early confirmation could have alerted those involved and disrupted intelligence operations.
“Those behind such acts understand the consequences of their actions. If a coup plot had been announced prematurely, they would have gone underground,” he said.
The defence minister stressed that the approach adopted by the military helped ensure that those involved were identified and the situation contained before it escalated.
Reports of an alleged coup plot surfaced in late September 2025, but the Defence Headquarters formally confirmed the development on January 26, 2026, following coordinated intelligence efforts by the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Musa said the successful disruption of the plot underscored the importance of caution, professionalism, and inter-agency cooperation in protecting Nigeria’s democratic order.
Defence Minister Explains Why Military Initially Denied Foiled Coup Plot
