A covert counter-intelligence effort involving Nigeria’s Army Headquarters and the State Security Service (SSS) has reportedly disrupted an alleged plan by rogue elements to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and detain or harm top political leaders.

Senior government sources say the plot began to unravel in late September 2025 after a serving military officer, said to have intimate knowledge of the scheme, alerted the then Chief of Army Staff, Major General Olufemi Oluyede. The officer reportedly feared that remaining silent could implicate him in treason.

At roughly the same period, the SSS was independently tracking suspicious activities pointing to a coordinated attempt by some serving officers to destabilise the country and subvert democratic rule. An official familiar with the intelligence said the Director-General of the SSS, Oluwatosin Ajayi, personally briefed General Oluyede on the findings.

With intelligence streams converging, both security chiefs agreed that urgent action was required. A low-profile joint operation was quietly activated, with arrests planned simultaneously in different parts of the country to prevent the suspects from mobilising.

On September 30, 2025 — the same day President Tinubu travelled to Imo State for an official function, reportedly unaware of the looming threat — security forces moved in. Several military personnel and civilian collaborators were arrested as the operation unfolded.

The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Emmanuel Undiandeye, and the then Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, were briefed on the arrests. According to a military insider, Mr Undiandeye was instructed to hold the suspects at the Defence Intelligence Agency’s underground detention facility.

After the sweep, the Presidency was formally notified of the foiled plot. President Tinubu subsequently called off the planned October 1 Independence Day parade and authorised the creation of a special investigative panel headed by Mr Undiandeye. The panel’s work reportedly led to additional arrests.

Escape, Manhunt, and High-Profile Names

Sources disclosed that one detained officer briefly escaped from custody but was later recaptured by SSS operatives in Bauchi State.

Meanwhile, a retired senior officer identified as General Adamu and a former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva, were named by sources as alleged financiers of the plot and were said to be on the run.

In the aftermath, President Tinubu approved the retirement of General Musa alongside the heads of the navy and air force. Major General Oluyede was appointed Chief of Defence Staff and later elevated to the rank of General. Weeks after his removal, General Musa re-emerged in government as Minister of Defence.

On October 4, Defence Headquarters released a statement downplaying the arrests, saying the officers were under investigation for “indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.” It claimed their complaints centred on stalled careers and failed promotion exams.

Despite persistent reports by *Premium Times* and other media organisations, the military repeatedly dismissed suggestions of a coup attempt. In an October 18 statement, Defence Headquarters described the probe involving 16 officers as a routine internal disciplinary process.

That position shifted on January 26, when the military publicly confirmed that some officers had indeed plotted against the government. Authorities announced that those found culpable would face trial before a military judicial panel.

“Personnel with cases to answer will be formally arraigned before an appropriate military judicial panel in line with the Armed Forces Act and relevant service regulations,” Defence Headquarters said.

Earlier reports cited senior political figures as potential targets of the alleged conspiracy, including President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.

According to one source, “Those are the principal targets, though others were also on the list.”

The plotters were also said to have planned the detention of key military leaders — not necessarily to assassinate them, but to neutralise resistance during the operation. Intelligence sources claimed the group intended to strike on a day when all major political figures were present in the country.

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One official familiar with the investigation said, “They had informants inside the Presidential Villa tracking movements. The ultimate objective was to install a military government.”