Why We Stated ‘No Coup’ at First — Defence Minister Lastly Reveals

The Minister of Defence has defined why the navy first dismissed stories of a coup plot towards President Bola Tinubu.

Common Christopher Musa (rtd) stated the Armed Forces prevented utilizing the phrase “coup” on the early stage as a result of investigations have been nonetheless ongoing. He famous that the problem was too severe to announce with out confirmed information.

Talking throughout a tv interview, Musa stated the navy wanted time to confirm intelligence earlier than informing Nigerians. Based on him, saying a coup prematurely might have prompted panic and allowed suspects to flee.

He defined that after the phrase “coup” is talked about, these concerned usually go into hiding. This, he stated, would have disrupted the investigation course of.

Musa added that the incident started as an inner case of indiscipline throughout the armed forces. He stated it was solely after thorough inquiries that safety businesses found the complete scale of the plot.

He stated: “When you point out coup, you’ll not see a few of these guys as a result of they know the results.

“The reality is that we wished to make sure as a result of it was an act of indiscipline and it’s all a part of it as a result of for what they did began identical to that.

“So, it was throughout the investigation that this stuff obtained revealed. And so, it was vital for us to comply with the steps to make sure that what we’re reporting is direct.

“It’s because coup is such a severe factor that we don’t wish to say this right now and tomorrow we are saying one other factor. It’s higher we are saying no for now till we discover out after investigation.”

The defence minister burdened that consistency and accuracy guided the navy’s public communication. He stated the aim was to keep away from confusion and shield nationwide stability.

He confirmed that the alleged coup plan was uncovered by way of joint intelligence efforts by the Nigerian Military, the Division of State Providers (DSS), and the Defence Intelligence Company (DIA).

The Defence Headquarters later made the plot public on January 26 after finishing its investigations. The authorities stated the plan was geared toward eradicating President Tinubu from workplace.

Recall that stories of a potential coup try first surfaced in late September 2025 however have been initially denied by navy authorities.