According to Daily Trust, the military has presented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with the results of its investigation into what it called “indiscipline and breach of service regulations” by the 16 jailed officers who were allegedly involved in a coup plan.
According to Daily Trust, reliable security and presidential sources told our correspondent yesterday that the report was sent to the president following more than two months of in-depth questioning and investigations conducted by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
The officers, who ranged in rank from captain to brigadier-general, were held and arrested by the DIA for trying to topple President Tinubu’s government, according to a report published in October of last year by Sahara Reporters.
Despite numerous reports that connected the coup attempt to President Tinubu’s postponement of the October 1 Independence Day Parade, the Defense Headquarters and the Presidency had denied the existence of a coup attempt at the time.
A person with knowledge of the probe told our correspondent yesterday that the president had received the report.
According to him, the president’s decision about the report “will allow further actions.”
According to the source, “those who were assigned to look into the officers’ involvement have finished their work and sent the report to the president, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”
“All I can tell you is that the officers were indicted and they will be sanctioned accordingly when the president gives his nod,” the source said when asked to comment on the report’s contents.
“They will face sanctions in accordance with the military’s standard procedures, though I am unsure if they will be court-martialled for the offense they may have committed.”
“The president said the coup attempt was real.”
A senior source at the Presidential Villa also confirmed to our correspondent yesterday that the president had been briefed on the military’s inquiry.
“They (military officials) informed Mr. President that the coup attempt was genuine.” The study unequivocally demonstrated that the detained officers made an effort to carry out their stated plans, as reported by the media.
According to the source, “the Brigadier-General among them was picked because it was discovered that he was aware of the plot but did not report it.”
Yesterday, neither Daniel Bwala, the Special Advisor to the President on Policy Communications, nor Bayo Onanuga, the Special Advisor to the President on Information and Strategy, could be reached on their cell phones. When asked if the investigation’s report had been sent to the president, they did not respond to texts or WhatsApp messages.
It was also reported that a former governor from a southern state was being looked into on suspicion of funding the purported coup attempt.
Former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva’s brother was arrested after military reportedly raided his houses in Abuja and Yenagoa on October 29. Julius Bokoru, his media aide, called the claimed attempt by “desperate politicians” to connect Sylva to the alleged plot “sickening.”
Some of them appeared to be in worse health, according to another military source.
The first rejection
In a statement released on October 4, 2025, the military high command, acting through Brigadier-General Tukur Gusau, its former Director, Defense Information, stated that 16 officers had been jailed for offenses that amounted to “indiscipline and breach of service regulations.”
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria wishes to inform the public that sixteen officers have been arrested due to issues of indiscipline and breach of service regulations during a routine military exercise,” Gusau had stated.
According to investigations, among other things, their complaints were primarily related to what they saw as career stagnation brought on by recurrent failure on promotion exams.
A few of the policemen that were arrested had been under arrest for a number of offenses and were either awaiting trial or were already in the process of being tried. Their behavior was judged to be inconsistent with military service requirements.
“To ensure responsibility and maintain professionalism within the Armed Forces, indicted officers will face the full military disciplinary process in accordance with established norms following the conclusion of the inquiry.
In order to preserve discipline, order, and loyalty among the ranks, the Armed Forces would like to reassure the public that these actions are entirely disciplinary in nature.
“Behavior that compromises the institution’s integrity or jeopardizes its constitutional role under democratic authority will not be tolerated by the Armed Forces.”
In a same vein, Sunday Dare, the President’s Special Advisor on Media and Public Communication, called the alleged coup attempt against Tinubu’s government “unfounded” in an October 28 interview with TVC News.
Since the military has the constitutional authority to protect this nation, we will adhere to their story. They are provided with weapons, ammo, and intelligence. Since that is the brief that is available, we will stick with the military’s explanation when they indicate that these are the causes of this development,” Dare had said.
Identity of detained officers
A Brigadier-General, a Colonel, four Lieutenant Colonels, five Majors, two Captains, a Lieutenant, a Navy Lieutenant Commander (the equivalent of a Major in the Navy), and an Air Force Squadron Leader are among the commanders in custody.
Twelve of the officers are members of the army’s front-line combat unit, the Infantry Corps, whose soldiers mostly fight on the ground, according to checks.
A Signals Corps commander oversees military communications, and an Ordnance Corps officer is in charge of acquiring, stockpiling, and maintaining weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and other necessary equipment.
Musa Abubakar Sadiq, Brigadier-General (service number N/10321), was born on January 3, 1974. He is said to be the mastermind of the purported coup plot and served as an NDA cadet from August 14, 1992, to September 20, 1997.
Sadiq, a native of Nasarawa State, advanced through the ranks as a member of Regular Course 44, rising to the rank of colonel in 2015 and brigadier four years later. He is an infantry corps member.
Additional investigations revealed that Sadiq had already made headlines for suspected egregious wrongdoing. He was allegedly arrested in October 2024 for “alleged diversion of rice palliatives, selling of military equipment, including generator sets and operational vehicles to scrap yards.”
The officer had held many positions, including Garrison Commander of the Army’s 81 Division in Lagos and Commander of the 3rd Brigade in Kano.
The service number for Colonel M.A. Ma’aji is N/10668. The Niger State native, who was born on March 1, 1976, began training on August 18, 1995, and completed it on September 16, 2000. Although it hasn’t been confirmed, investigators believe he was a crucial strategist for the purported coup attempt.
Ma’aji, an infantry corps member, was elevated to lieutenant colonel in 2013 and full colonel four years later. The 49-year-old commander served as the commanding officer of the Nigerian Army’s Okitipupa, Ondo State-based 19 Battalion.
He participated in the 2017 Nigerian Army military drill known as Operation Crocodile Smile II, which was designed to address security issues in the Niger Delta and some areas of the South West.
Additionally, he worked in the Nigerian Army Depot before becoming the Commander of Operation Delta Safe. He belonged to the NDA’s 47 Regular Course.
Lt. Colonel S. Bappah, service number N/13036, is a member of the Nigerian Army Signals Corps. He is from North-East Nigeria’s Bauchi State. His birthday is June 21, 1984.
On September 27, 2004, the 41-year-old officer began his cadet training, which he finished on October 4, 2008. He belongs to the NDA’s 56 Regular Course.
From Kaduna State, Lt Colonel A.A. Hayatu has service number N/13038. He was born on August 13, 1983, and completed his cadet training from September 27, 2004, to October 4, 2008. Hayatu was a member of the 56 Regular Course and the infantry corps.
Plateau State is where Dangnap hails from. On April 1st, 1986, he was born. He and 29 other people were court-martialed in 2015 for crimes pertaining to the battle against Boko Haram. The 39-year-old officer, whose service number is N/13025, started his cadet training on September 27, 2004, and finished it on October 4, 2008. Dangnap is an officer in the infantry corps and a member of the NDA’s 56 Regular Course.
The 56 Regular Course includes Lt. Colonel M. Al-Makura. He was born on March 18, 1983, in Nasarawa State. From September 27, 2004, to October 4, 2008, the infantry corps officer with service number N/12983 received cadet training at the NDA.
Major A. J. Ibrahim is from Gombe State and has service number N/13065. The Infantry Corps officer, who was born on June 12, 1987, received training from September 27, 2004, to October 4, 2008. In 2013, he was promoted to captain of the 56 Regular Course.
Major M.M. Jiddah is a native of Katsina State. His birthday is July 9, 1985. He received training from September 27, 2004, until October 4, 2008. Jiddah, an infantry Army officer and member of the 56 Regular Course, with service number N/13003.
N/15404 is the service number of Nigerian Army Major M.A. Usman. On April 1st, 1989, he was born. He is a native of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. The infantry officer, a member of the 60th Regular Course, received cadet training at the NDA from August 16, 2008, to September 14, 2012.
One member of the Ordnance Corps is Major D. Yusuf. On May 26, 1988, he was born. Yusuf, who has service number N/14753, trained at NDA from July 7, 2007, to September 8, 2012, as a member of the 59th Regular Course. Gombe State is the officer’s home state.
Through the Direct Short Service Commissions, Major I. Dauda enlisted in the military. The infantry officer, service number N/13625, was born on November 26, 1983, and trained from June 5, 2009, until March 27, 2010. Dauda is a member of Short Service Commission Course 38 and is from Jigawa.
Captain Ibrahim Bello, a member of the Direct Short Service Commission Course 43 with service number N/16266, who was born on July 28, 1987; Captain A. A. Yusuf with service number N/16724; Lieutenant S. S. Felix with service number N/18105; Lieutenant Commander D. B. Abdullahi, a naval officer with service number NN/3289; and Squadron S. B. Adamu, an Air Force squadron leader with service number NAF/348.
Justice for detainees is sought by activists.
The federal government was urged Wednesday to attend to the health of the arrested policemen by an organization called Concerned Pro-Democratic Activists of Nigeria.
At a press conference in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State, the group’s chairman, Yusuf Musa Dauda, voiced worries over allegations that some of the officers were gravely ill and that their relatives had been refused access to them.
He urged the government to provide the cops with appropriate medical care, allow them to speak with their families, and either release them if there is no evidence against them or bring them before the court for legal proceedings.
“We also discovered that family members have been completely denied the opportunity to visit or communicate with them since their arrest, in order to at least be aware of their conditions and ease their concerns,” Dauda stated.
In a time of democracy, we are worried about their extended detention without a trial or due process.
“We urge authorities to investigate this matter with fair judgment, but we strongly condemn any act of overthrowing the government in an undemocratic manner.”
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