Fresh revelations have emerged in the investigation of the alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu’s government, exposing a chilling assassination plan targeting the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
A Nigerian Air Force officer, Squadron Leader SB Adamu (Service No. NAF/3481) from Jigawa State, was reportedly assigned to carry out the killing.
Adamu was posted to the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) — a strategic unit coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) — just four weeks before the plot was uncovered. Military sources confirm that despite a request by Major General Adamu Garba Laka, the NCTC National Coordinator, for a specific officer to be deployed to the centre, Adamu was instead posted, raising suspicions of deliberate infiltration by the plotters within the military hierarchy.
According to sources, Adamu’s mission was specifically to eliminate NSA Ribadu, while other officers involved were tasked with targeting various senior officials within the Tinubu administration. The officer is currently in custody and cooperating with investigators, providing crucial details about the scope of the conspiracy.
The Defence Headquarters has maintained that the ongoing investigation of 16 officers is part of a routine internal disciplinary process. However, the suspicion that elements within the military sought to destabilise the government through assassination attempts underscores the seriousness of the plot.
President Tinubu recently dismissed two of his service chiefs, reflecting ongoing changes in the military command amid the probe. Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, Director of Defence Information, assured the public that the investigation’s outcomes would be made public to ensure transparency.
