), on Sunday disclosed that he was among the intended targets of the recently foiled coup plot against President Bola Tinubu, revealing that the conspirators planned to arrest or shoot him if he resisted. “But again, I think these guys were just a bunch of very unserious individuals that I really don’t know. He added that even without the intervention of the military, Nigerians would have resisted any attempt to overthrow a democratically elected government. I can’t even imagine a colonel ever thinking of doing such a thing.”The Defence Minister stressed that executing a coup in modern-day Nigeria was virtually impossible, unlike in the past. In October 2025, the Defence Headquarters had dismissed reports of a coup attempt, despite the arrest of 16 officers accused of sponsoring the plot.

Source: Punch February 02, 2026 04:32 UTC