It’s waste of time to plan coup in Nigeria – Defence minister

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Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd)

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ABUJA — The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has declared that any attempt to stage a coup in Nigeria would be a waste of time, insisting that democracy remains far better than military rule.

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The minister said officers accused of plotting to overthrow the administration of President Bola Tinubu lacked support and would have been resisted even by ordinary Nigerians without military intervention.

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Musa spoke on Friday during an interview on Arise News while commenting on the ongoing court martial of officers accused of involvement in the alleged October 2025 coup plot.

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“Anybody planning any coup is wasting his time,” he said.

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“Democracy is far, far better than any military regime. This is an opportunity to show the junior ones that coup doesn’t pay.”

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The minister described those allegedly involved in the plot as “confused individuals” who misled junior officers into trouble.

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“I just looked at the people that were involved and I shook my head, because they are just a bunch of confused individuals that exposed very junior officers who didn’t know their left from their right and now put them into this mess. It’s quite unfortunate,” he said.

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According to him, even civilians would have confronted the alleged plotters if they had attempted to execute their plans.

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“Even the civilians in Nigeria would have taken them down. So, I think it was just foolhardy for them to have done what they wanted to do,” he added.

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Musa expressed sympathy for the junior officers facing trial, saying the military leadership always felt saddened whenever personnel found themselves in such situations.

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“We always feel bad when we see our colleagues in this situation. But the good thing is that the system has a way of going about it,” he stated.

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On the ongoing prosecution, the minister said due process was being followed and that the accused officers were being given fair opportunity to defend themselves.

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“The investigation was very thorough. The prosecution is now ongoing, and the court martial will go as planned. We are giving them all the benefits to defend themselves.

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“But the facts on the ground are very, very clear, and I can tell you that we are following all the processes. Nothing is hidden,” he said.

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The minister also maintained that there was no justification for any coup plot, arguing that the armed forces had been adequately catered for under the current administration.

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“They had no reason to do that. The country was going very well. The armed forces have been taken care of quite well. We’ve never had issues with our salaries.

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“Efforts have been made to even increase our allowances. Our troops are doing quite well,” he added.

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