How Security Agencies Foiled Alleged Coup, Assassination Plot Against Tinubu
A covert intelligence operation by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army has uncovered and disrupted an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government and assassinate key political figures.
Investigations revealed that the plot began to unravel in late September 2025 after a serving military officer, said to have direct knowledge of the scheme, alerted the then Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede. The officer reportedly raised the alarm to avoid being implicated in treason.
Around the same period, the DSS independently gathered intelligence indicating that some serving officers were planning to destabilise the government and undermine Nigeria’s democratic order. Sources said the DSS Director-General, Adeola Ajayi, personally briefed the army chief, prompting swift coordination between both agencies.
With intelligence converging from multiple sources, the DSS and the army launched a discreet nationwide operation to neutralise the alleged masterminds and their collaborators. The operation culminated on September 30, 2025, as President Tinubu travelled to Imo State for an official engagement, unaware of the alleged threat.
Several suspects, including serving military officers and civilian collaborators, were arrested during the sweep. The Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Emmanuel Undiandeye, and the then Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, were subsequently briefed, while the suspects were detained at a Defence Intelligence Agency facility.
Following the arrests, President Tinubu was formally informed of the foiled plot. In response, he ordered the cancellation of the October 1, 2025, Independence Day parade and approved the setting up of a special investigative panel led by Gen. Undiandeye. The panel’s work reportedly led to further arrests.
A military source disclosed that one of the detained soldiers later escaped custody but was rearrested by DSS operatives in Bauchi State. Meanwhile, a retired senior officer, identified as General Adamu and accused of financing the plot, remains at large.
Nigeria has a long history of military coups and attempted takeovers, with at least nine recorded between 1966 and 1995. Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, the country has enjoyed over two decades of uninterrupted civilian governance, with security agencies reiterating their commitment to preserving constitutional order.
