The Nigerian military has detained 42 officers, including 16 senior personnel, over an alleged plot to assassinate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, according to ongoing investigations by security agencies.

A report from Premium Times says that while the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has downplayed reports of a coup plot attributing the detentions to “internal disciplinary procedures” multiple sources indicate that the arrests are connected to what is being described as a foiled plot uncovered in early October 2025.

Investigators reportedly traced suspicious communications, movements, and funding links allegedly tied to the group, with some leads linked to former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva, whose Abuja home was recently raided by security operatives.

Scope of the Investigation

According to defence sources, 14 of the 16 top suspects are from the Nigerian Army, while one is from the Nigerian Navy and another from the Nigerian Air Force.

Most of the detained officers are drawn from the Infantry Corps, the army’s combat division, alongside a few from the Signals and Ordnance Corps.

The officers are currently being held at various military detention facilities in Abuja as investigations continue into what authorities describe as “subversive activities inconsistent with military ethics.”

Profiles of the Detained Officers

Below are details of the 16 identified officers allegedly linked to the foiled coup plot:

1. Brigadier General Musa Abubakar Sadiq

Service Number: N/10321

Date of Birth: January 3, 1974

Origin: Nasarawa State

Background: Trained at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) from 1992–1997, Course 44.

Profile: Believed to be the lead figure in the alleged plot. Previously detained in 2024 for misconduct involving diversion of palliatives and sale of military equipment.

Former Positions: Commander, 3rd Brigade (Kano); Garrison Commander, 81 Division (Lagos).

2. Colonel M.A. Ma’aji

Service Number: N/10668

Date of Birth: March 1, 1976

Origin: Niger State (Nupe ethnic group)

Profile: Senior infantry officer suspected of acting as chief strategist of the network.

Former Role: Commanding Officer, 19 Battalion, Okitipupa, Ondo State. Participated in Operation Crocodile Smile II (2017).

3. Lt. Colonel S. Bappah

Service Number: N/13036

Date of Birth: June 21, 1984

Origin: Bauchi State

Corps: Signals

Training: NDA Regular Course 56 (2004–2008).

4. Lt. Colonel A.A. Hayatu

Service Number: N/13038

Date of Birth: August 13, 1983

Origin: Kaduna State

Corps: Infantry

Training: NDA Regular Course 56.

5. Lt. Colonel P. Dangnap

Service Number: N/13025

Date of Birth: April 1, 1986

Origin: Plateau State

Background: Court-martialed in 2015 during operations against Boko Haram.

Corps: Infantry

Training: NDA Regular Course 56.

6. Lt. Colonel M. Almakura

Service Number: N/12983

Date of Birth: March 18, 1983

Origin: Nasarawa State

Corps: Infantry

Training: NDA Regular Course 56.

7. Major A.J. Ibrahim

Service Number: N/13065

Date of Birth: June 12, 1987

Origin: Gombe State

Corps: Infantry

Training: NDA Regular Course 56; became Captain in 2013.

8. Major M.M. Jiddah

Service Number: N/13003

Date of Birth: July 9, 1985

Origin: Katsina State

Corps: Infantry

Training: NDA Regular Course 56.

9. Major M.A. Usman

Service Number: N/15404

Date of Birth: April 1, 1989

Origin: Federal Capital Territory

Corps: Infantry

Training: NDA Regular Course 60 (2008–2012).

10. Major D. Yusuf

Service Number: N/14753

Date of Birth: May 26, 1988

Origin: Gombe State

Corps: Ordnance

Training: NDA Regular Course 59 (2007–2012).

11. Major I. Dauda

Service Number: N/13625

Date of Birth: November 26, 1983

Origin: Jigawa State

Corps: Infantry

Training: Short Service Commission Course 38 (2009–2010).

12. Captain Ibrahim Bello

Service Number: N/16266

Date of Birth: July 28, 1987

Training: Direct Short Service Course 43.

13. Captain A.A. Yusuf

Service Number: N/16724

Corps: Infantry

14. Lieutenant S.S. Felix

Service Number: N/18105

Corps: Infantry

15. Lieutenant Commander D.B. Abdullahi

Service Number: NN/3289

Branch: Nigerian Navy

Rank Equivalent: Major

16. Squadron Leader S.B. Adamu

Service Number: NAF/3481

Branch: Nigerian Air Force

Rank Equivalent: Major

Government and Military Reactions

So far, the Nigerian government and the Defence Headquarters have not publicly confirmed the alleged assassination or coup plot.

However, insiders suggest that the arrests contributed to the low-key Independence Day celebrations on October 1, 2025, amid fears of potential security breaches within the ranks.

Officials insist that the detentions are part of an internal disciplinary process, though no official charges have yet been filed.

Coup Anxiety Amid Military Reshuffles

The arrests come weeks after President Tinubu announced a major reshuffle of the Armed Forces, appointing General Olufemi Oluyede as the new Chief of Defence Staff and several new Service Chiefs moves seen as efforts to strengthen loyalty within the military hierarchy.

The latest detentions have stirred concerns of instability and internal dissent, reminiscent of Nigeria’s historical struggles with military intervention in politics.

As investigations continue, the fate of the detained officers remains uncertain. Security analysts suggest that transparency in the process will be critical to maintaining public trust and preventing speculation about discontent within the armed forces.

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U.S. President Donald Trump, ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, said he has instructed the Department of Defense to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons on an “equal basis” with other nuclear powers.

“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” Trump said on Truth Social, ahead of the meeting with Xi in South Korea.

“Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years,” Trump noted.

President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday Russia had successfully tested a Poseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo that military analysts say is capable of devastating coastal regions by triggering vast radioactive ocean swells.

As Trump has toughened both his rhetoric and his stance on Russia, Putin has publicly flexed his nuclear muscles with the test of a new Burevestnik cruise missile on October 21 and nuclear launch drills on October 22.

The United States last tested a nuclear weapon in 1992.

Tests provide evidence of what any new nuclear weapon will do and whether older weapons still work.

Apart from providing technical data, such a test would be seen in Russia and China as a deliberate assertion of U.S. strategic power.

The United States opened the nuclear era in July 1945 with the test of a 20-kiloton atomic bomb at Alamogordo, New Mexico, and then dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 to end World War Two.

The newly appointed service chiefs have arrived at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Wednesday for their screening by the Senate, marking a key step in President Bola Tinubu’s recent shake-up of the nation’s military leadership.

The service chiefs arrived at the Senate wing of the National Assembly around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, accompanied by top-ranking military officers and aides.

Their appearance followed the Senate’s decision to bring forward the screening to Wednesday, October 29, from its earlier schedule for next week.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the rescheduled session during Tuesday’s plenary after reading a letter from President Bola Tinubu, which sought the lawmakers’ confirmation of the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, and other service chiefs.

“The change in date is necessary to enable the military chiefs to assume their duties immediately,” Akpabio explained while addressing senators on the floor.

In his correspondence to the Senate, President Tinubu urged lawmakers to give expeditious consideration to the confirmation process to ensure “continuity and effective coordination of the nation’s security architecture.”

On October 24, the President announced sweeping changes in the military hierarchy, appointing new heads for the armed forces in what analysts described as a move to inject “fresh energy” into Nigeria’s counter-insurgency and internal security operations.

Under the new appointments, General Olufemi Oluyede replaces General Christopher Musa as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Major-General W. Shaibu becomes the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Air Vice Marshal S. K. Aneke is the new Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Rear Admiral I. Abbas takes over as Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) and Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye retains his post as Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI).

The appointments, according to a statement signed by Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, take immediate effect.

Recall that General Oluyede, now nominated as Chief of Defence Staff, had only recently assumed office as Chief of Army Staff following the death of General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja last year. His elevation to CDS marks a swift rise within the top military ranks.

He succeeded General Christopher Musa, who, alongside Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla and Air Marshal Bala Abubakar, had served since June 2023.

During their tenure, the outgoing service chiefs oversaw major counterterrorism operations against Boko Haram, ISWAP, and armed bandits in Nigeria’s North-East and North-West regions. While they achieved significant gains, continued attacks by gunmen across the country had intensified public calls for a change in military strategy and leadership.

A widow, Mrs Chika Ndubuisi, has been rescued from drinking water used to bathe her husband’s corpse in Awo-Omamma, in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State.

The widow was rescued from the hands of her husband’s kinsmen, who attempted to force her to drink the water used in bathing the corpse of her husband to prove her innocence over his death.

It was gathered that her husband’s kinsmen allegedly tried to compel her to drink from the water, but the swift intervention of the Commissioner, the Local Council Authority of the area, and security agencies halted the attempt following alerts raised by a women’s group.

The rescue followed an alarm raised by a women’s advocacy group, which drew the attention of the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, exposing the actions of the said kinsmen.

Speaking on the development, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Lady Nkechinyere Ugwu, condemned the act, describing it as an inhuman widowhood practice that has become outdated.

The Commissioner expressed shock that such a practice still exists in the present-day society, where a widow, already traumatised by the loss of her husband, would be coerced by her late husband’s kinsmen to partake in a ritual involving drinking from the water used in bathing his corpse.

She said, “Normalcy has been restored, and a detailed investigation is underway. The widow, Mrs Ndubuisi, and her children are under government protection.”

She frowned at the act, describing it as barbaric, cruel, and completely unacceptable in a civilised society.

Lady Ugwu stated that the Ministry’s action, in collaboration with the Chairman of the Local Council and some Non-Governmental Organisations, facilitated the rescue of the widow and her children. She confirmed that some arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, the wife of the state governor, Chioma Uzodinma, has directed an immediate and comprehensive investigation to ensure that those responsible face the full weight of the law.

BONA NAIJA learnt that the widow, who was detained with her husband’s corpse, was accused by her in-laws of being responsible for his death.

Nigeria’s Nobel Prize winning author and playwright Wole Soyinka has revealed that the United States has revoked his non-immigrant visa, which was issued to him last year.

The 91-year-old Nobel laureate disclosed the development on Tuesday, showing reporters a letter from the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos directing him to submit his passport for physical cancellation of the visa.

According to the letter, dated October 23, the revocation followed the discovery of “additional information” that became available after the visa was issued.

“I have no visa. I am banned obviously from the United States,” Soyinka said. “And if you want to see me, you know where to find me,” he added, referring to those planning to invite him to U.S. events.

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria has yet to respond to requests for comment.

Soyinka, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986, has had several teaching stints at U.S. Ivy League universities since the mid-1990s. In 2016, he famously tore up his U.S. green card and renounced his American residency in protest at the election of former President Donald Trump.

The revocation comes amid recent tightening of U.S. visa policies for Nigerians. In July, the U.S. Embassy announced that non-immigrant visa applicants would henceforth receive single-entry, three-month permits, replacing the previous five-year, multiple-entry visas many Nigerians had enjoyed.

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