Nigerian security agencies have reportedly concluded investigations into an alleged coup plot aimed at violently overthrowing President Bola Tinubu’s administration, identifying 40 suspects across the military, police, and civilian sectors.

It was reports that the suspects include senior military officers, a police officer, and civilians allegedly involved in reconnaissance, funding, and propaganda operations.

A Premium Times report quoted security sources as having identified 13 individuals apprehended by the State Security Service (SSS), including two military personnel (one retired), one police officer, and 10 civilians.

Sixteen military officers were arrested for direct participation, two civilians for reconnaissance, two for incitement to civil disobedience to justify the coup, and five others in connection with funding channels.

“One detained soldier escaped custody but was later rearrested by SSS operatives in Bauchi,” insiders told Premium Times.

Investigation Completed, Court-Martial Pending

It was reports that the Defence Headquarters confirmed that the investigation had been concluded and forwarded to “appropriate superior authority in line with extant regulations.”

The military described the findings as identifying “several officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government,” calling such actions “inconsistent with the ethics, values and professional standards required of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”

“At least 25 military officers and personnel are expected to face trial in connection with the coup attempt,” a source familiar with the investigation said.

An unspecified number of civilians remain in custody, under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the SSS, for roles in financing, logistics, and coordination.

Coup Plan Details

Investigators revealed that the plotters initially aimed to disrupt the handover of power from former President Muhammadu Buhari to President Tinubu on May 29, 2023. However, the plan stalled due to insufficient funds and logistical gaps.

The conspiracy was reportedly revived in 2025 after former Bayelsa Governor Timipre Sylva allegedly transferred nearly N1 billion to three bank accounts operated by a Bureau De Change operator, intelligence sources said.

Retired Major General Adamu, identified as a key figure, along with Sylva and three other suspects, remain at large. One fleeing suspect has been traced to South America, though details remain undisclosed for security reasons.

Presidential and Government Officials Targeted

Sources revealed that the alleged coup plotters had planned assassinations of President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas.

“They were waiting for a day when all of them would be in the country. Wherever they were, they would be assassinated,” one source told journalists.

Service Chiefs, commanders of the Guards Brigade, and other strategic figures were also reportedly targeted. Informants within the Presidential Villa were said to be monitoring the movements of the officials.

Investigators also disclosed that some officers were tasked with seizing strategic locations, including the Presidential Villa, Niger Barracks, the Armed Forces of Nigeria Complex, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

Full List Of Suspects Includes high-ranking officers such as:

Brigadier General MA Sadiq (Army Headquarters Garrison), Colonel MA Ma’aji (Defence Space Administration) and Lieutenant Colonel S Bappah (525 Signal Regiment).

Other officers include Lieutenant Colonels AA Hayatu, P Dangnap, M Almakura, AA Jarma, SM Gana, alongside majors, captains, lieutenants, and non-commissioned officers.

Civilian suspects include Umoru Zekeri (Julius Berger Villa Electrician), Ali Isah (Villa ambulance driver), and Stanley Kingsley Amandi (actor allegedly hired as a propagandist).

Details of six other suspects remain unclear as of press time, Naija News understands.

Below is the full list of the 40 suspects and their supposed units and addresses.

NAME – UNIT/ADDRESS

MA Sadiq (Brigadier General) – Army Headquarters Garrison
MA Ma’aji (Colonel) – Defence Space Administration
S Bappah (Lt. Colonel) – 525 Signal Regiment
AA Hayatu (Lt Colonel) – 130 Battalion Main, Ogoja, Cross River State
P Dangnap (Lt Colonel) – 134 Special Force Battalion
M Almakura (Lt Colonel) – 197 Special Force Battalion
AA Jarma (Lt Colonel) – CO, 35 Battalion Katsina
SM Gana (Lt Colonel) – 115 Task Force Battalion
AD Dauda (Maj) – Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji
JM GANAKS (Maj) – Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji
AJ Ibrahim (Maj) – Army Headquarters’ Department of Policy and Plans
MM Jiddah (Maj) – 26 Battalion
MA Usman (Maj) – 35 Battalion
D Yusuf (Maj) – Forward Operating Base Molai (AHQ SG)
J Iliyasu (Maj) – 3 Division Garrison
A Mohammed (Maj) – 63 Brigade Garrison
DB Abdullahi (Lt Cdr) – Naval Base Abuja
SB Adamu (Sqn Ldr) – National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC)
NG Zuzu (Sqn Ldr) – Headquarters, Nigeria Air Force Camp
G Binuga (Captain) – 1 NMF Brigade
AA Yusuf (Captain) – Nigerian Army of the School of Finance and Administration (NASFA)
Bello (Captain) – 82 Division Garrison
SS Felix (Lt) – 81 Division Provost Group
J Aminu (Lt) – Headquarters Directorate of Army Public Relations (DAPR)
Nasiru Ibrahim – (WO) 82 Division Garrison
Sanda Usman (Sgt) – 167 Special Force Battalion
Mohammed Zubairu – (Sgt) 177 Guards Battalion
Momoh Audu (Cpl) – 343 Artillery Regiment
Ahmed Ibrahim (Inspector) – 24 Police Mobile Force, Presidential Villa
EO Victor (Navy Capt/Rtd) – 3 Abraham Avenue off Odili Road, Port Harcourt
Umoru Zekeri – Julius Berger, Villa Electrician
Y Nasiru (LCpl) – 82 Division Garrison
Sambo Danladi (LCpl) – 82 Division Garrison
Abdul Abdullahi (SSgt) – 82 Division Garrison
Ali Isah – Villa Ambulance Driver
ML Mohammed (Capt) – 18 Battalion
UI Yusuf (Wg Cdr) – International/Helicopter Flying School, Enugu
IM Gana (Maj Gen Rtd) – No 34 A Army Estate, Kubwa, Abuja
Stanley Kingley Amandi – Propagandist
Goni Bukar

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Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, for allegedly concealing parcels of cocaine in his private parts and the soles of his footwear.

The NDLEA said Onyekwere was arrested on Thursday, January 29, 2026, during the inward clearance of South African Airways passengers arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg, following processed intelligence.

According to the agency, the 47-year-old suspect was taken for a full body scan, which confirmed illicit drug concealment.

“He was subjected to a strip search, during which a large parcel of a white powdery substance, later confirmed to be cocaine, was discovered wrapped around his right thigh. A further search revealed two additional wraps of the same substance concealed in the sole of a pair of flat shoes worn by the suspect,” the NDLEA said.

In all, three large wraps of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.60 kilogrammes were recovered from his body and footwear.

During preliminary interrogation, the suspect allegedly admitted purchasing the drugs in Brazil with the intention of reselling them in Nigeria to raise capital for his business and to finance the naming ceremony of his newborn child.

Onyekwere, who lives on Rua Ever, Mulariuha, São Paulo, reportedly said he had been in Brazil since 2008 and had operated a toy business for about nine years.

Meanwhile, at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers, in a joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, weighing 1,183kg, imported from Montreal, Canada.

The illicit consignment was hidden inside two vehicles — a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix — inside a container examined on Wednesday, January 28.

In Niger State, operatives acting on intelligence on Tuesday, January 26, intercepted a truck along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway and arrested Andy Chidogu, 49; Kenneth Ogene, 45; and Sadiq Olanrewaju, 27, for transporting 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735kg and one kilogramme of Colorado concealed in the vehicle.

Investigations showed the truck had earlier carried flour from Lagos to Ekpoma, Edo State, before being used to convey the drugs for a fee of ₦1.7 million.

In Edo State, NDLEA officers on January 27 arrested Shaibu Yusuf along the Auchi-Abuja Expressway with 66 bags of skunk concealed in charcoal sacks, weighing 792kg, bound for Katsina.

Also in Edo, operatives supported by the Nigerian Army raided a cannabis farm at Ebora Camp, Ilushi, in Esan South-East LGA, where over 4,063kg of skunk was destroyed on 1.6 hectares of farmland, while 328kg of processed cannabis and seeds were recovered. Four suspects were arrested.

In Anambra State, officers intercepted a cement truck at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, and recovered 345.2kg of skunk concealed in cement bags, leading to the arrest of Abum Okeke, 42.

In Ondo State, two suspects — Tunde Ogundele, 39, and Soji Elegbeleye, 46 — were arrested in Akure North with 473kg of skunk.

In Kano, Abdullahi Usman, 45, was arrested with 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine, while another suspect, Musa Shuaibu, 42, was caught in Gaya with 4,390 tramadol pills.

In Lagos, Oragwan Ekene was arrested at Alaba with 15.5kg of skunk heading to Onitsha, while at the Seme border, Badagry, NDLEA recovered 3.5kg of skunk from the luggage of Omang Peter Edward arriving from Cotonou, Benin Republic.

NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers of the MMIA, Tincan, Niger, Edo, Anambra, Ondo, Lagos and Kano Commands for the arrests and seizures, urging them to sustain a balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction.

Across the country, the agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.

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Operatives of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit of the Bayelsa State Police Command have arrested a Delta State–based pastor, Elijah Oro, alongside a suspected cult member, over an alleged plot to assassinate a rival prophet in the state.

Police sources revealed that the pastor allegedly recruited a 21-year-old suspect, Samuel Daniel, said to be a member of the dreaded Greenlanders cult, to carry out the attack. The alleged conspiracy is believed to have stemmed from a lingering dispute over church membership and property.

Confirming the arrests in a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Musa Mohammed, said the operation was based on actionable intelligence. He disclosed that both suspects are currently in custody and undergoing interrogation in connection with the alleged attempt on the life of the unnamed prophet.

According to Mohammed, “On January 28, 2026, at about 10:35 a.m., operatives of the SWAT Unit arrested Samuel Daniel, 21, from Nembe Ogbolomabiri Community, and Pastor Elijah Oro, 59, of Ozoro Community in Delta State, in connection with an alleged plot to kill a prophet.”

He added that preliminary findings showed that Daniel was apprehended at the residence of the targeted prophet, where he reportedly confessed to being a member of the Greenlanders cult and admitted that he was allegedly contracted by Pastor Oro to execute the plan.

The police spokesperson said investigations are ongoing to fully unravel the circumstances and motive behind the alleged plot, assuring that all those found culpable would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

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