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Crackdown Begins as DHQ Finalises Arraignment of Alleged Coup Plotters
The Defence Headquarters on Monday said personnel indicted after investigations into alleged misconduct by some military officers, which uncovered claims of a plot to overthrow the government, will be arraigned before an appropriate military judicial panel.
Security and military sources familiar with the matter said President Bola Tinubu had expressed confidence in the military to try the indicted officers. This comes amid appeals by a pro-democracy group urging the Federal Government to consider the health and welfare of officers detained in connection with the matter.
In October 2025, the DHQ announced the arrest of 16 officers over acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.
Shortly after, Sahara Reporters alleged that the officers—ranging from the rank of Captain to Brigadier General—were arrested by the Defence Intelligence Agency for holding secret meetings to topple the government, and linked the alleged plot to the cancellation of the October 1 Independence Day parade.
At the time, the then Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau (retd), dismissed the report as an attempt to create tension and distrust, stating that the matter was a purely internal disciplinary issue. He said an investigative panel had been constituted and that its findings would be made public.
Providing an update on Monday, the new Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, stated that a comprehensive investigation had now been concluded in accordance with established military procedures, and the report had been forwarded to the appropriate superior authority.
According to Uba, the findings identified several officers with cases to answer over allegations of plotting to overthrow the government, a conduct he described as inconsistent with the ethics, values, and professional standards of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
He said the investigation report has now been forwarded to the appropriate superior authority. The statement partly read, “The Defence Headquarters issued a press statement in October 2025 regarding the arrest of sixteen officers over acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria wishes to inform the general public that investigations into the matter have been concluded and the report forwarded to the appropriate superior authority in line with extant regulations.
“The comprehensive investigation process, conducted in accordance with established military procedures, has carefully examined all circumstances surrounding the conduct of the affected personnel. The findings have identified a number of officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government, which is inconsistent with the ethics, values, and professional standards required of members of the AFN. “
Uba said those indicted would be formally arraigned before relevant military judicial panels to face trial in line with the Armed Forces Act and other applicable service regulations, stressing that the process would ensure accountability while upholding fairness and due process.
He emphasised that the measures being taken were purely disciplinary and formed part of institutional mechanisms aimed at preserving order, discipline, and operational effectiveness within the ranks.
Uba said, “Accordingly, those with cases to answer will be formally arraigned before an appropriate military judicial panel to face trial in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and other applicable service regulations. This ensures accountability while upholding the principles of fairness and due process.
“The AFN reiterates that measures being taken are purely disciplinary and part of ongoing institutional mechanisms to preserve order, discipline, and operational effectiveness within the ranks. The Armed Forces remain resolute in maintaining the highest standards of professionalism, loyalty, and respect for constitutional authority.”
Plot to breach Presidential Villa security
Security and military sources have revealed that the alleged coup plotters successfully infiltrated the Presidential Villa in Abuja, with some of the perpetrators identified as serving military officers. According to the sources, the plotters conducted detailed surveillance. They assessed security installations and identified vulnerabilities in the Villa’s defences before the plot was uncovered.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Monday, a Presidential Villa security source told The PUNCH that the plotters had infiltrated the Villa and had perfected plans to carry out the act.
“The coup plotters actually compromised the Villa, entered the Villa, some of them military officers. They have accessed the Villa and its security installations and vulnerabilities,” the source said.
Former Commissioner of Police in Niger State, Diseye Desire Nsirim, rtd, has died after a brief illness.
Nsirim died on Monday, September 21, 2026, in a hospital, according to the Niger State Police Command.
The late police officer, who hailed from Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, served as the 27th Commissioner of Police in Niger State between 2012 and 2014.
She was the first and, according to the command, the only female Commissioner of Police to have served in the state.
The command said that during her tenure, Nsirim contributed to crime prevention, public safety and the maintenance of law and order in the state.
It listed the dismantling of the Darul-Salam group in Mokwa and the busting of another terrorist group in Minna among her notable achievements as Commissioner of Police.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said the command’s current Commissioner of Police, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, commiserated with Nsirim’s family, relatives, colleagues and associates.
Elleman described the late officer’s contributions to policing in Niger State and national security as significant.
He prayed for strength and fortitude for the family to bear the loss.
A civil servants’ group, the Federal Workers Forum (FWF), has formally written to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly demanding that the federal minimum wage be raised from N70,000 to N300,000, with a maximum salary of N1.5 million for Level 17 officers.
As reported on Thursday, September 3, by The Punch, the letter, dated September 2, 2026, was signed by National Coordinator Andrew Emelieze and General Secretary Ogundele Ayodele.
It was addressed to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives through the Clerk of the National Assembly, with President Tinubu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation listed as additional recipients.
The forum argued that the N70,000 minimum wage passed in 2024 had not been properly carried out, saying workers received only a blanket N40,000 addition regardless of grade level.
“The Federal Government has not fully implemented the new national minimum wage since July 2024. We have been in the battle for full consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage,” the group said in the letter.
The FWF insisted that the statutory three-year review cycle should not stop the government from acting urgently, describing the current situation as an emergency.
“It is suicidal for the federal workers to continue in this ugly situation,” the letter read. “Federal workers are dying in instalments; we are suffering in silence; our salary is too poor; it is not taking us home.”
The group also claimed some workers had borrowed from microfinance banks and mobile loan applications just to cover transport to work, while others had resorted to cooking with firewood because they could no longer afford gas.
The forum attached a full pay scale to the letter.
Beyond wages, the FWF demanded payment of all outstanding salaries and promotion arrears, implementation of a 40 per cent peculiar allowance, a permanent Cost of Living Allowance, family support payments, comprehensive health insurance, and housing and car loan schemes for federal workers.
The forum also called for free education for children of federal workers in federal institutions, reduced taxation on allowances, and a broader social security programme for unemployed Nigerians.
On pensions, the group asked the National Assembly to investigate claims that part of workers’ contributory pension savings was being borrowed by the executive, demanding an immediate stop and full refund if confirmed.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to give Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, a defined role in his 2027 presidential campaign, with the former Rivers State governor expected to coordinate the campaign structure in Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory.
The arrangement is expected to allow Tinubu’s campaign to benefit from Wike’s political network in the two territories while avoiding a formal change in the minister’s party affiliation.
Wike remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party despite his open support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
This appointment is coming against the background of disagreements between Wike and some APC governors over the best way to mobilise support for Tinubu.
Wike has consistently maintained that he does not need to join the APC before supporting the President in 2027.
He has also rejected the idea that his political relevance should be measured by whether he occupies a top position in the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
In August, Wike made his position clear after the APC unveiled its Presidential Campaign Council and appointed former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, as Director-General.
The FCT minister said he would rather concentrate on Rivers State and the FCT than pursue the position of campaign director-general.
“What’s important is that you are able to deliver those two states. So it’s not about being DG. If you’re DG and you don’t win your state, what’s the essence of the DG?” Wike said.
“I don’t want to lose my state,” he added.
The proposed arrangement would therefore give Wike a specific responsibility without placing him under the formal hierarchy of the APC.
His expected assignment is particularly significant because of his political influence in Rivers State, where he served as governor for eight years, and the FCT, where he has served as minister since 2023.
Wike has repeatedly claimed responsibility for the political structure in both territories and has promised to work for Tinubu’s victory in the presidential election.
During a recent media engagement, he described himself as the “General Commander of the Political Infantry” and insisted that occupying the office of governor was not the only way to remain politically influential in a state.
“You do not need to be governor before you can be in charge. I am the General Commander of the Political Infantry; therefore, I am in charge,” Wike said.
The minister has also drawn a distinction between supporting Tinubu for president and supporting individual candidates seeking other elective positions.
He recently said his support for the President should not be interpreted as an undertaking to help politicians win their respective state-level contests.
Wike said his focus would remain the presidential election and that politicians seeking victories in governorship and legislative elections should handle their own political battles.
“Rainbow coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is our own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term,” Wike said.
The Rainbow Coalition promoted by Wike is made up of politicians and political interests from different parties who support Tinubu’s return to office in 2027.
However, the arrangement has created tension with some APC governors who have questioned the need for a separate political structure outside the party.
The disagreement became more pronounced after Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, announced that APC governors had rejected the Rainbow Coalition.
Wike subsequently criticised some APC governors, including Uzodimma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
He accused some politicians of being more interested in being seen as the people working for Tinubu than in building genuine support for the President.
“You see, the problem with people, they want them to be seen, that they are the people working for the President. I don’t do that,” Wike said.
Under the new role, Wike would focus on Rivers and the FCT, while other senior members of the campaign would handle their own areas of responsibility.
Yari is expected to remain Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council.
However, the proposed structure is not expected to operate strictly through a single chain of command.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau are reportedly not expected to report directly to Yari despite their roles within the campaign structure.
Another prominent figure expected to play a major role in the campaign is Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
Keyamo is being considered for a major spokesperson position in the campaign.
He has considerable experience in presidential campaign communication.
He served as a spokesperson and Director of Public Affairs during Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign.
He also played a senior communications role in former President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election campaign.
Keyamo later served as Minister of State for Labour and Employment under Buhari before becoming the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development under Tinubu.
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