A Nigerian Navy lieutenant commander standing trial over an alleged coup plot admitted sending a message describing President Bola Tinubu as “scared” after the cancellation of the 1 October Independence Day parade.
The admission was in a statement written by the 38-year-old officer from Kogi State, Bayawo Abdullahi, where he acknowledged sending a WhatsApp message to the coup leader, Mohammed Ma’aji, a Nigerian Army colonel, shortly after the annual parade was called off.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the coup plot was uncovered in September 2025, leading to the initial arrest of 16 military officers. In total, about 40 people, including senior officers across the armed forces, a police officer, and civilians allegedly involved in the plot, had been arrested and were being prosecuted.
This newspaper reported that six civilians and former military officers accused of being part of the coup plot are being charged in a civil court, while the serving military officers are facing General Court-Martial (GCM).
Following the thwarted plot, authorities cancelled the Independence Day parade and reshuffled the military top hierarchy. While media reports linked the cancellation of the parade to the alleged plot, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) explained that it was called off to allow the president to “attend a strategic bilateral meeting outside the country.”
