A Nigerian Army colonel arrested over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu has reportedly given a detailed account of the alleged movement, including naming military officers and civilians he claimed were connected to the plan.
According to a report by Premium Times, Colonel Ma’aji made the claims in a statement shared by the publication, describing the alleged plot as an effort driven by concerns about the direction of Nigeria rather than personal ambition.
Explaining his alleged motivation, Ma’aji said:
“This has nothing to do with any ambition or personal goals. It is purely out of the desire for a prosperous country that works for everyone.”
What Colonel Ma’aji said about the alleged plot
Ma’aji reportedly described the alleged movement as a gradual recruitment exercise targeting military officers who shared his concerns about the country’s situation.
According to his account, the group had not reached the stage of carrying out any action when the alleged plot was uncovered.
He said no specific date had been fixed for the operation because the group was still attempting to secure resources and recruit additional personnel.
He said:
“There was no D-Day. We were waiting for the availability of resources and more officers and soldiers.”
The colonel also identified a civilian, Timiprey Silva, as someone who allegedly contributed about N400 million to the movement. Ma’aji reportedly said that much of the earlier expenditure had come from his own funds.
He further stated that there were no foreign collaborators involved in the alleged plan.
Service chiefs allegedly targeted
According to Ma’aji’s account, the intended operation involved Nigeria’s service chiefs.
He said the plan was to place the service chiefs under house arrest while preventing them from interfering with the alleged movement.
Explaining the purpose behind requests for photographs and other tasks allegedly assigned to participants, Ma’aji said:
“The essence of asking them to send pictures and the given task was to place the service chiefs under arrest in the house, and not to cause interference with the movement. The coup was supposed to be carried out at night.”
He also named Brigadier General Sadiq as a senior officer who, according to his account, was aware of the alleged plan but later withdrew.
Ma’aji reportedly said Sadiq pulled out because of concerns about funding and the need to involve more senior military figures.
However, Ma’aji was said to have clarified that General Jalo, General Danja and retired Navy Captain Victor were never approached about the alleged movement.
Role of Civilian Joint Task Force members
Ma’aji also reportedly discussed a proposal involving members of the Civilian Joint Task Force.
According to his account, Major Iliyasu suggested using the fighters, claiming they already possessed personal rifles and could be mobilised from the North-East to Abuja.
However, the proposed logistics were never finalised, according to Ma’aji’s statement.
Defence Headquarters responds
The Defence Headquarters has publicly commented on the matter, although it did not directly deny that the arrested officers were allegedly involved in a coup plot.
Instead, the military authority described the “ongoing investigation involving” the officers as “a routine internal process aimed at ensuring discipline and professionalism is maintained within the ranks.”
The alleged development comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s history of military interventions.
The country has not experienced a successful coup since 1993. The latest alleged plot therefore comes more than three decades after the country’s last military takeover.
It also follows a history of earlier coup attempts in Nigeria, some of which were reportedly stopped during the planning stages while others were crushed after they had already begun.
