THE Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has said some suspects arrested over the alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu will be released if investigations establish that they have no case to answer.
News Point Nigeria reports that Musa made the disclosure during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, while explaining why some of the suspects had not yet been prosecuted.
Musa said the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) were still investigating the matter, while some of those arrested had already been taken to court.
“So, if you don’t have any case, after the investigation, they’ll be released. Those that have serious issues are the ones that are going…” he said.
The minister said investigators were taking time to ensure that innocent individuals were not wrongly implicated, adding that only those identified as the main actors would face prosecution.
“We want to take time to make sure that anybody that is freed doesn’t deserve to be punished. All those ones that will go for prosecution should be the ones that are actually the main actors,” Musa said.
Speaking on the suspects already before the courts, Musa said, “I think they’ve been investigated. They’ve taken them to court, so it’s still with the courts. It’s not with us; it’s still with the courts,” he said.
Musa also said the coup plot was real and that those involved intended to execute it, describing them as “a bunch of misguided individuals.” He, however, said he did not believe the alleged plot was politically motivated.
“No. I think the intent of the plotters is they just probably reminisce about the past military regimes, how they became governors and became ministers and all this, and they felt, ‘Man, it’s been a long time. Maybe it’s time for us to also be able to benefit from that,’” he said.
He added that there were still some suspects who had not been found, stressing that authorities were being careful to avoid blaming innocent people.
The alleged coup plot dates back to October 2025, when the Defence Headquarters announced the arrest of 16 senior military officers over alleged acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations. The arrests were later linked by the military to an alleged plot to overthrow the Tinubu administration.
An interim investigation report later indicated that a clandestine network of military officers, allegedly coordinated by an Army colonel, had been involved in preliminary planning for a coup. According to the report, the alleged plot included surveillance of critical national assets such as the Presidential Villa, the Armed Forces Complex, Niger Barracks in Abuja and major international airports.
The matter subsequently expanded beyond the military investigation, with the Federal Government filing a 13-count charge against six individuals, including retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Police Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Islamic cleric Abdulkadir Sani. Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, was also listed as being at large.
The six defendants, who pleaded not guilty, are facing allegations bordering on treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security information and money laundering linked to terrorism financing. A Federal High Court in Abuja later ordered an accelerated hearing of the case. The court proceedings have since continued, including a trial-within-trial over the admissibility of some statements.
Meanwhile, serving military officers accused of involvement in the alleged plot are also facing proceedings before a General Court Martial. PUNCH reported that 36 persons were listed in the military case, including Brigadier General M.A. Sadiq and Colonel Mohammed Ma’aji.
Musa said the alleged coup should not be allowed to undermine Nigeria’s democratic system, urging Nigerians to work together to address the country’s challenges through democratic means.