No Fewer Than 16 Serving Officers Of The Nigerian Armed Forces Are Set To Face Court-Martial Over Allegations Of Plotting To Overthrow President Bola Tinubu, A Charge That Carries Penalties Ranging From Life Imprisonment To Death Under Military Law.

The Development Follows The Conclusion Of A High-Level Military Investigation Into The Alleged Plot, Which Reportedly Began With Arrests Carried Out In October 2025. The Suspects, Spanning Ranks From Captain To Brigadier-General, Were Detained By The Defence Intelligence Agency And Have Remained In Custody Since Then.

Military Authorities Confirmed This Week That The Investigative Panel Set Up To Examine The Allegations Has Completed Its Work And Submitted Its Findings To The Appropriate Authorities. The Confirmation Was Given By Samaila Uba, A Major-General And Director Of Defence Information.

In A Statement, Uba Said Officers Found To Have Cases To Answer Would Be Formally Arraigned Before A Military Judicial Panel In Line With The Armed Forces Act And Other Service Regulations. He Explained That The Investigation Followed Established Military Procedures And Examined All Circumstances Surrounding The Conduct Of The Affected Personnel.

According To The Statement, The Probe Identified Several Officers Whose Actions Were Deemed Inconsistent With The Ethics, Values And Professional Standards Required Of Members Of The Armed Forces Of Nigeria. The Military, He Said, Decided To Make The Outcome Public In The Interest Of Accountability, While Still Upholding Fairness And Due Process.

Retired Senior Officers, Speaking Separately, Said The Gravity Of The Offence Leaves Little Room For Leniency Under Existing Military Law. They Noted That Attempted Coups Are Classified As Capital Offences, With Punishment Prescribed As Death Unless Mitigated By Presidential Clemency.

Speaking On The Development, Two Retired Officers, Gen. Bashir Adewinbi (Rtd) And Major Bashir Galma (Rtd), Explained That The Punishment For Attempted Coup Is Death In Line With The Armed Forces Act Of Nigeria. The Duo Said That, Except The President And Commander-In-Chief Of The Armed Forces, Bola Tinubu, Temper Justice With Mercy, There Is No Way The Indicted Officers Can Come Out Freely From The Offence.

Gen. Adewinbi Said, “The Coup Is A Criminal Offence In The Military, And There Are Penalties For It. The Military High Command Might Have Denied It For The First Time For Them To Ascertain And Conclude Their Investigations. “Is It Real? Is It Not Real? Who Are The People Involved? Who Are The Actors? Now That They Have Concluded And Submitted Their Report And The Report Has Indicated That There Was A Coup Attempt, That Means, If There Was A Coup, Everybody Must Be Ready To Face Consequences For His Or Her Actions.”

“There Is No Two Ways About It. A Coup In The Military Attracts The Death Penalty.”

“When You’re Caught For A Coup, The Consequence Is The Death Penalty. We Have Witnessed It So Many Times In Nigeria.

“However, The President Can Use His Prerogative To Take Action On The Type Of Punishment To Give Them, But The Normal Thing Is Death Penalty To Serve As A Deterrence To Others Who Are Planning To Truncate The Democracy We Are Enjoying In Nigeria, Because There Is No Need For Any Coup In Nigeria Today.

“It Is The Duty Of The Military To Protect The Present Democracy. We Should Not Truncate Democracy. Whoever Has Planned The Coup Should Be Made To Pay For It. Not Only The Coup, But Also All Of These Offenders Like Terrorists, Bandits And Other Criminals.”

“There Must Be A Special Court To Try These People. That Is The Only Way We Can Reduce Terrorism And Insecurity In Nigeria. Let’s Take The Bull By The Horns. Let’s Give Them The Right Punishment Because They See It As A Way Of Making Money.”

Major Galma Said It Is Important For Anybody Joining The Military To Understand That He Or She Would Be Abiding By Two Laws, Military Laws And Nigeria’s Constitution.

Nigeria Has A Long History Of Coup Allegations And Trials. Past Military Regimes Imposed Death Sentences On Officers Accused Of Plotting Against The Government, Including The Execution Of Major-General Mamman Vatsa And Others In 1986. During The 1990s, Several Senior Officers And Civilians Were Also Jailed Over Alleged Coup Plots Under The Late General Sani Abacha.