BREAKING: How Military, SSS foiled Plot to Kill President Tinubu, Akpabio, Abbas and Shettima

A covert counter-intelligence operation collectively coordinated by the Military Headquarters and the State Safety Service (SSS) disrupted an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and assassinate senior political figures in line with Premium Instances.

A number of senior authorities and safety officers mentioned the alleged conspiracy started to unravel in late September 2025 after a serving army officer with direct data of the plan contacted the then Chief of Military Workers, Olufemi Oluyede. The officer reportedly disclosed particulars of the plot, explaining that he feared being implicated as an adjunct to treason if he didn’t alert authorities.

Across the identical interval, the SSS independently obtained intelligence indicating that some serving military officers had been plotting to destabilise the federal government and undermine Nigeria’s democratic system. An official accustomed to the event mentioned the Director-Basic of the SSS, Oluwatosin Ajayi, personally briefed Mr Oluyede on the findings.

With intelligence from completely different sources pointing to the identical threat, each safety chiefs agreed that swift however discreet motion was required. A joint operation was quietly launched by the military and the SSS, with coordinated arrests deliberate throughout a number of components of the nation to neutralise the alleged masterminds and their collaborators.

The operation was executed on 30 September 2025, as President Tinubu travelled to Imo State for an official engagement. Safety sources mentioned the president was unaware on the time that he was allegedly a key goal of the plot. The coordinated sweep led to the arrest of a number of serving officers recognized as principal actors, together with different army and civilian suspects.

Following the arrests, the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Emmanuel Undiandeye, and the then Chief of Defence Workers, Basic Christopher Musa, had been briefed on the event. Mr Undiandeye was subsequently requested to detain the suspects within the underground holding facility of the Defence Intelligence Company.

After being formally knowledgeable of the foiled plot, President Tinubu ordered the quick cancellation of the 1 October Independence Day parade. He additionally authorised the structure of a particular investigative panel to conduct a deeper probe into the matter. The panel was led by Basic Undiandeye and reportedly uncovered additional particulars that resulted in extra arrests.

Throughout the course of the investigation, one of many detained troopers reportedly escaped custody however was later rearrested by SSS operatives in Bauchi State, in line with a army insider. Safety sources additionally disclosed {that a} retired officer recognized as Basic Adamu and a former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva, accused of bankrolling the plotters, evaded arrest and remained at giant.

Within the weeks that adopted, main adjustments occurred inside the army hierarchy. President Tinubu dismissed and retired Basic Musa as Chief of Defence Workers, alongside the chiefs of the Navy and the Air Power. Olufemi Oluyede was subsequently appointed Chief of Defence Workers and promoted to the rank of Basic. Weeks later, Christopher Musa returned to authorities as Minister of Defence.

Regardless of the arrests, the Defence Headquarters initially downplayed the state of affairs. In an announcement issued on 4 October, it mentioned the detained officers had been being investigated for indiscipline and breaches of service rules, including that preliminary findings linked their grievances to profession stagnation and failure in promotion examinations.

The army continued to disclaim the existence of a coup plot, insisting in an 18 October assertion that the probe involving 16 officers was a routine inner investigation aimed toward sustaining self-discipline and professionalism inside the armed forces.

Nonetheless, on 26 January, the Defence Headquarters publicly acknowledged for the primary time that officers had certainly plotted to illegally overthrow President Tinubu’s administration. It introduced that these indicted can be arraigned earlier than a army judicial panel.

In line with the Defence Headquarters, the investigation was complete and performed consistent with established procedures, inspecting all circumstances surrounding the conduct of the affected personnel. It mentioned the findings revealed plenty of officers dealing with allegations of plotting to overthrow the federal government, describing such actions as inconsistent with the ethics, values {and professional} requirements of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

These with circumstances to reply, the army mentioned, would face trial earlier than an acceptable army judicial panel in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and different relevant service rules.

Sources with direct data of the investigation additionally disclosed that the alleged conspiracy prolonged past a seizure of energy. Senior officers reportedly marked for assassination included President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the Home of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas.

“There are different folks focused, however these are the important thing ones,” one supply mentioned.

The plotters had been additionally mentioned to have deliberate the detention of senior army officers, together with the service chiefs, moderately than killing them. In line with the sources, the conspirators supposed to assassinate the political leaders concurrently, ready for a time when all of them can be inside the nation.

“They had been monitoring their actions intently,” one official mentioned. “Wherever they had been, the plan was to strike on the identical time and set up a army authorities.”

Investigators imagine the plot relied closely on informants inside the Presidential Villa and across the officers marked for elimination, underscoring what safety sources describe as probably the most severe inner threats to Nigeria’s democratic order lately.