The alleged coup plot was planned for 1 October 2025, Nigeria's Independence Day, according to court documents cited by local media. The celebratory parade on that date was cancelled at the last minute, according to the same sources. The six charged have denied the 13 charges, including treason, terrorism and money laundering.
In January 2025, the military announced that 16 unnamed senior military officers would face a court-martial over an alleged plot, according to multiple reports. The charge sheet states that suspects 'conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe the president of the Federal Republic', according to state prosecutors.
Court documents filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja reveal the name of the alleged mastermind, Colonel Mohammed Ma'aji, according to local media reports. Ma'aji is a 50-year-old Muslim born in western Niger state, according to court documents. He spent much of his early army career in the Niger Delta region and climbed the ranks in the mid-2000s.
Ma'aji developed close ties with oil businessman and one-time governor of Bayelsa state, Timipre Sylva, according to reports. Sylva was instrumental in getting oil militants to agree to a ceasefire leading to an amnesty in 2009. Ma'aji coordinated security for Sylva during his failed bid for a second term as governor in 2015.
A seventh suspect, former Bayelsa state governor Timipre Sylva, is accused of helping to conceal the plot and is still at large, according to local media reports. The alleged plot involved all elements of Nigeria's security forces, according to the charge sheet.
Nigeria has a long history of military takeovers but has been under civilian rule since 1999, according to multiple reports. Several other West African countries have experienced coups in recent years. The military takeovers follow a pattern of disputed elections, constitutional upheaval, security crises and youth discontent, according to analysts cited by local media.
What specific evidence links the six charged civilians to the alleged coup plot remains unclear. The current status of the 16 military officers facing court-martial has not been disclosed. It is also unknown how the alleged plot was financed and who provided the funding.