Sixteen Nigerian military officers are currently being detained over an alleged coup plot against the Federal Government, PREMIUM TIMES has reported.
The officers, drawn from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, include a brigadier general, identified as the alleged ringleader, and several colonels, lieutenant colonels, majors, captains, lieutenants, and a Squadron Leader.
The arrests represent one of the most high-profile internal security crackdowns within Nigeria’s military in recent years.
As of press time, military authorities have not issued an official response to the report. The alleged plot and ongoing detentions have stirred concerns about internal dissent and political stability within the armed forces.
Below are the profiles of the detained officers as documented by PREMIUM TIMES:
Alleged Leader of the Plot
Brigadier General Musa Abubakar Sadiq
- Service No: N/10321
- Age: 51
- State: Nasarawa
- Course: NDA Regular Course 44
- Trained between August 1992 and September 1997, Sadiq was promoted brigadier general in 2019.
- Previously served as Commander, 3rd Brigade, Kano, and Garrison Commander, 81 Division, Lagos.
- He was earlier detained in October 2024 over allegations of diverting relief materials and selling military equipment as scrap.
Senior Army Officers
Colonel M.A Ma’aji
- Service No: N/10668
- Age: 49 — from Niger State
- Course: 47 Regular Course
- Former Commanding Officer, 19 Battalion, Ondo.
- Key strategist in the alleged plot, according to investigators.
- Served in Operation Crocodile Smile II and Operation Delta Safe.
Lt Colonel S. Bappah
- Service No: N/13036
- Age: 41 — from Bauchi
- Course: 56 Regular Course
- Member, Army Signals Corps.
Lt Colonel A.A. Hayatu
- Service No: N/13038
- Age: 42 — from Kaduna
- Course: 56 Regular Course
- Infantry officer.
Lt Colonel P. Dangnap
- Service No: N/13025
- Age: 39 — from Plateau
- Course: 56 Regular Course
- Court-martialed in 2015 during Boko Haram operations.
- Infantry officer.
Lt Colonel M. Almakura
- Service No: N/12983
- Age: 42 — from Nasarawa
- Course: 56 Regular Course
- Infantry officer.
Majors
Major A.J Ibrahim
- Service No: N/13065
- Age: 38 — from Gombe
- Course: 56 Regular Course
- Infantry officer; became captain in 2013.
Major M.M. Jiddah
- Service No: N/13003
- Age: 40 — from Katsina
- Course: 56 Regular Course
- Infantry officer.
Major M.A Usman
- Service No: N/15404
- Age: 36 — from FCT
- Course: 60 Regular Course
- Infantry officer.
Major D. Yusuf
- Service No: N/14753
- Age: 37 — from Gombe
- Course: 59 Regular Course
- Member, Ordnance Corps.
Major I. Dauda
- Service No: N/13625
- Age: 41 — from Jigawa
- Joined through Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC 38).
- Infantry officer.
Other Detained Officers
Captain Ibrahim Bello
- Service No: N/16266
- Age: 38
- Direct Short Service Commission Course 43.
Captain A.A. Yusuf
- Service No: N/16724
Lieutenant S.S. Felix
- Service No: N/18105
Lieutenant Commander D.B. Abdullahi (Navy)
- Service No: NN/3289
Squadron Leader S.B. Adamu (Air Force)
- Service No: NAF/3481
