New intelligence has emerged regarding a thwarted plot to destabilize President Bola Tinubu’s government, revealing how a serving Army Colonel allegedly recruited military personnel across service branches in an elaborate scheme intercepted by security forces.
The Defence Headquarters previously announced the detention of 16 officers for disciplinary violations and breaches of service protocols, following weeks of heightened vigilance within Nigeria’s Armed Forces.
When coup allegations surfaced on social media in October 2025, the Defence Headquarters initially characterized them as baseless misinformation. Yet the abrupt cancellation of the Independence Day parade intensified public speculation about underlying security threats.
A preliminary investigation report reviewed by Punch Newspapers now indicates the alleged mastermind was a Colonel whose multiple unsuccessful promotion attempts reportedly generated bitterness and isolation. Rather than managing these frustrations privately, he allegedly leveraged them as a rallying point, recruiting officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force into an interconnected network.
The report states group members were allegedly tasked with conducting reconnaissance on critical facilities—including the Presidential Villa, the Armed Forces Complex, Niger Barracks in Abuja, and major airports in Abuja and Lagos—analyzing entry points, operational patterns, and security weaknesses. What started as professional discontent apparently evolved into preliminary operational blueprints.
Security personnel discovered charms and anti-government literature during a vehicle search, while a residence raid in Lokogoma, Apo yielded documents detailing role assignments and procedures for managing key government figures during the planned operation.
The group allegedly exploited institutional access, penetrating Presidential Villa security and compromising employees connected to construction contractor Julius Berger to gather intelligence about the compound. Encrypted messaging applications were reportedly used for coordinating logistics, movements, and financing, while suspicious vehicle maintenance activities and irregular cash transactions suggested mobilization preparations.
Investigators identified financial payments ranging from N2 million to N5 million directed toward key participants, with intelligence services now examining these transactions through the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
Lt-Col S. Bappah allegedly became a cooperating witness, acknowledging his involvement and providing information about recruitment tactics, funding mechanisms, and internal communication systems.
Security officials emphasize the conspiracy’s alarming breadth across military services—encompassing Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel up to Brigadier-General rank. The alleged scheme, disrupted before its scheduled October 25, 2025 execution, reportedly targeted the President, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, cabinet ministers, service chiefs, and other senior officials.
Investigators are now expanding their inquiry to potential civilian sponsors and political associates who may have engaged with primary suspects. They’re examining communication records, financial transactions, and external connections to dismantle the network completely and protect vital national infrastructure.
With the investigation complete and findings submitted to higher authorities, the Defence Headquarters confirmed that implicated personnel will appear before military judicial proceedings, as Nigeria’s security establishment works to ensure this reportedly well-resourced, coordinated threat remained confined to the planning phase.
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