“I Was One Of The Targets Of The Failed Coup, I Was Meant To Be Shot”. Minster Of Defence, Musa (video)
Speaking during Sunday Politics, a Channels TV programme, Mr Musa, a retired Nigerian Army general, disclosed that intelligence gathered during investigations showed he had been specifically listed as a target by the coup plotters.
“I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot,” he said on Sunday.
In October 2025, PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported how the coup plotters marked key government officials for assassination and arrest.
A security source with direct knowledge of the matter had told this newspaper that the coup plotters planned to kill President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and other top officials.
The source added that people like Mr Musa who was then the Chief of Defence Staff, were to be arrested.
Mr Musa said the plot included coordinated moves to detain key figures within the political and security establishment, with provisions for lethal force against anyone who resisted.
He described the development as a grave threat to national security and constitutional order, stressing that the plan demonstrated a dangerous level of recklessness by those involved.
The official said the alleged conspirators underestimated both the Nigerian state and the public, noting that such actions would not have received support from citizens.
“Even without the armed forces, Nigerians will have stood against him,” Mr Musa said, recalling how Nigerians have fought against the military in the past.
He added that anyone who ventures into a coup plot understands the risks and consequences, describing the plotters as “unserious individuals.”
