Keypoints:
- Ma’aji invokes ‘patriotism’ over alleged plot
- N400m Sylva funding claim remains disputed
- Court martial has delivered no verdict
NIGERIA’S alleged coup organiser, Colonel Mohammed Ma’aji, told military investigators that ‘patriotism’ and the country’s ‘gradual decline’ drove the 2025 plot, according to interrogation records reviewed by Premium Times, as his court martial remains unresolved.
The disclosure offers the clearest account yet of the thinking attributed to one of the officers accused of trying to end Nigeria’s democratic order. But Ma’aji’s remarks are an extrajudicial statement, not a judicial finding, and every defendant remains entitled to the presumption of innocence.
‘Patriotism’ invoked over alleged plot
According to Premium Times’ publication of Ma’aji’s account, the colonel told investigators that Nigeria was approaching a ‘point of collapse’ after worsening insecurity, corruption and economic hardship.
He said the idea of military intervention emerged towards the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2023. Officers sharing similar concerns were then approached and drawn into the alleged movement.
Ma’aji cited subsidy removal, the floating of the naira, higher electricity tariffs and insecurity among the grievances motivating the group. He also complained about conditions facing soldiers, wounded personnel and military veterans.
Although he denied that personal ambition was central, Ma’aji’s account indicated that discussions about reviving the alleged plan intensified after he failed for a second time to secure promotion to brigadier general in 2024.
Investigators allege that military personnel subsequently met at hotels in Abuja while seeking money, manpower and officers with access to strategic locations.
Funding allegation reaches Sylva
In the statement published on August 10, Ma’aji estimated that former petroleum minister Timipre Sylva contributed about N400m (about $294,000) to the alleged operation. He claimed the former Bayelsa State governor became involved later and that the group received no foreign support.
The figure is Ma’aji’s estimate and has not been established by a court. Sylva denied involvement, saying through his spokesperson that he had ‘no involvement whatsoever’ in planning or financing an attempt to overthrow Tinubu’s government.
Five former aides and domestic workers were arraigned in July for allegedly concealing Sylva’s whereabouts. They pleaded not guilty, and their trial was subsequently adjourned until October 5.
Sylva is separately wanted by the EFCC over an alleged $14.86m refinery investment fraud. That warrant is distinct from the coup allegations and does not establish that he financed a military plot.
Court martial examines 36 officers
Nigeria’s military announced in October 2025 that 16 officers had been detained for alleged indiscipline and breaches of service regulations. It rejected reports connecting the detentions to a coup, describing its inquiry as a routine disciplinary process.
The military’s original denial of the coup claims gave way in January 2026, when the Defence Headquarters said its investigation had identified officers suspected of plotting to overthrow the government.
A General Court Martial involving 36 serving officers was subsequently inaugurated in Abuja. Ma’aji, named as the second accused, challenged the tribunal’s jurisdiction and argued that the charges against him were legally defective.
The objection remains unresolved. The tribunal has not delivered a verdict, and Ma’aji and the other officers have not been convicted.
Separately, six people, including retired military officers, a serving police inspector and civilians, pleaded not guilty to treason and terrorism charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja. That court ordered a trial-within-trial after the defendants disputed whether their statements had been given voluntarily.
That admissibility dispute concerns the six Federal High Court defendants. It does not determine how Ma’aji’s statement will be treated by the court martial.
Economic anger shadows security case
Ma’aji’s explanation draws on public frustration over Nigeria’s economy. Subsidy removal, currency depreciation and higher living costs have pressured households since Tinubu took office in 2023, fuelling demonstrations and demands for accountability.
The pressures form part of a wider African youth revolt against economic hardship, but public dissatisfaction does not confer constitutional authority on military officers to seize power.
Ma’aji’s use of ‘patriotism’ presents the alleged conspiracy as a rescue mission, echoing arguments used by coup leaders elsewhere in West Africa. Across the Sahel, promises of national restoration have given way to prolonged military rule, weakened political competition and restrictions on dissent.
Nigeria also helped defeat Benin’s December 2025 coup attempt, presenting military intervention as a threat to regional stability. The case exposes a contrast between Abuja’s defence of constitutional government abroad and the alleged challenge from within its armed forces.
Democratic record faces rare test
Nigeria returned to elected civilian government in 1999 after decades marked by coups and military dictatorship. Had the alleged plot succeeded, it would have ended the country’s longest period of uninterrupted democratic rule.
The court martial must determine whether the prosecution can prove that Ma’aji and the other accused officers moved beyond private grievances into an organised attempt to overthrow lawful authority.
Transparent proceedings, access to legal representation and careful examination of the evidence will be essential to maintaining public confidence in both the military and Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
For now, Ma’aji’s description of the alleged operation as ‘patriotism’ remains his own characterisation. National hardship, however severe, cannot give soldiers a lawful mandate to replace an elected government.
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