The Digest:
A joint intelligence operation by the Army and the State Security Service (SSS) in late September 2025 foiled a detailed plot to assassinate President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, and to install a military government. The plot unraveled after a military insider alerted the then Chief of Army Staff, with the SSS providing corroborating intelligence. Coordinated arrests on September 30 neutralized the alleged architects. President Tinubu, informed afterward, canceled the Independence Day parade and ordered a special investigation, which led to further arrests and subsequent military leadership changes.
Key Points
- The plot represents an unprecedented direct threat to the core of Nigeria's democratic leadership, risking catastrophic national instability.
- It triggered a sweeping security and political response, including the cancellation of a major national event and the reshuffling of the country's top military command.
- The alleged plotters, including serving officers, face the gravest possible charges, while the intelligence community seeks credit for a decisive preventive success.
- The months-long initial denial by the military, followed by eventual confirmation, exposes significant tension between transparency and operational security in crisis management.
- The revelation confirms the persistent, high-level threats facing the Nigerian state, forcing a public reckoning with the security apparatus's internal vulnerabilities.
The foiled plot has transitioned from a covert intelligence success to a public judicial proceeding, where the full scope of the conspiracy will be formally examined.
Sources: PREMIUM TIMES, senior administration and security officials
