Nigeria arrests alleged coup leader Mohammed Ma’aji over promotion dispute

Nigerian investigators have obtained statements from Lieutenant Colonel Shamsuddeen Bappah and other suspects, revealing details of a thwarted coup plot aimed at overthrowing President Bola Tinubu's administration. The alleged mastermind, Colonel Mohammed Ma’aji, is said to have revived the scheme after being denied promotion to brigadier general in 2023 and again in 2024, citing poor conditions for soldiers and officers.

On 29 September, Ma’aji was lured to a meeting at Niger Barracks under the pretense of discussing his promotion with Chief of Army Staff Olufemi Oluyede. He was then arrested by military authorities. The investigation includes over 7,400 pages of documents, bank records, and other evidence collected by the General Court Martial and the Federal High Court in Abuja.