They Truly Wanted To Do It, Innocent Suspects May Be Freed – Defence Minister Drops Coup Bombshell

• Defence Minister, Christopher Musa, has confirmed that the alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu was genuine, saying those behind it were not merely discussing a hypothetical takeover but had the intention of carrying it out.

• Musa, however, says not everyone arrested in connection with the investigation will necessarily face prosecution, as the authorities are still working to separate alleged principal actors from individuals who may have been wrongly implicated.

• The DSS and National Intelligence Agency are still investigating the matter, while some suspects have already been arraigned in court and serving military officers accused of involvement are facing proceedings before a General Court Martial.

• The minister described the alleged plotters as misguided individuals nostalgic for Nigeria’s past military regimes, warning that the development must not be allowed to weaken democracy or create justification for solving political problems through unconstitutional means.

September 04, () — The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has delivered his strongest confirmation yet, that the alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration was real, saying the conspirators “truly wanted to do it”, but insisting that only those established to be the principal actors should face prosecution.

Musa also disclosed that some of the suspects arrested in connection with the alleged coup plot could be released if ongoing investigations establish that they have no case to answer.

The minister spoke during an interview on MEDIA TODAY’s Politics Today, where he explained that security agencies were deliberately taking time to establish individual culpability rather than rushing to prosecute everyone arrested during the investigation.

According to him, the Department of State Services and the National Intelligence Agency are still working on the investigation, while some suspects have already been taken to court.

“So, if you don’t have any case, after the investigation, they’ll be released. Those that have serious issues are the ones that are going.

“We want to take time to make sure that anybody that is freed doesn’t deserve to be punished. All those ones that will go for prosecution should be the ones that are actually the main actors”, Musa said.

Asked directly about the credibility of the alleged coup plot, Musa said there was no doubt in his mind about the intentions of those involved. He described the suspects as “a bunch of misguided individuals” and maintained that the alleged plot was not simply a theoretical discussion among military personnel.

Musa said the plotters genuinely intended to execute their plan.

The minister, however, said he did not believe the alleged conspiracy was primarily driven by a conventional political ideology. Rather, he suggested that some of those involved were attracted by memories of previous military regimes and the positions and privileges that officers obtained after successful coups.

“No. I think the intent of the plotters is they just probably reminisce about the past military regimes, how they became governors and became ministers and all this, and they felt, ‘Man, it’s been a long time. Maybe it’s time for us to also be able to benefit from that”, he said.

The minister had previously disclosed that he himself was among senior officials allegedly targeted by the coup plotters.

In February 2026, Musa said the alleged conspirators planned to arrest him and could have killed him if he resisted. At the time, he was Chief of Defence Staff and was subsequently appointed Defence Minister after his retirement from the military.