Ma’aji cites dissatisfaction with fuel subsidy removal, exchange-rate reforms, taxation, electricity tariffs, corruption, and insecurity.
By Kehinde Okeowo
A Nigerian Army Colonel, Mohammed Ma’aji, has dismissed the notion that the failed coup d’état aimed at overthrowing the President Bola Tinubu-led administration last year was for selfish gain, insisting it was to change the trajectory of the country positively.
He made the argument in an exclusive report by Premium Times, which detailed how he and other officers conceived the plot and the motivation behind it.
In April, the Federal Government filed 13 charges against six individuals accused of being part of the coup plot, after initially failing to confirm or dismiss the alleged attempt.
Those charged include Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, a retired Major General; Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, a retired Navy Captain; Ahmed Ibrahim, a police inspector; and Zekeri Umoru, an electrician at the Presidential Villa.
Others include Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani, a Zaria-based Islamic cleric.
While the ex-military officers and civilians are being tried in a civilian court, Ma’aji and over 30 serving military personnel are separately facing a military court-martial.
In a documentary obtained by the news outlet, Ma’aji attributed the attempted coup to worsening insecurity, corruption, and economic hardship.
Ma’aji stated that discussions about a military intervention began in 2023, towards the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
”Things particularly got out of control towards the end of Buhari’s administration when corruption and nepotism became the order of the day,” he said.
The Army Colonel expressed his belief that senior military authorities should have responded more forcefully to the deteriorating security situation, adding that the group subsequently began identifying officers who shared similar concerns.
”Most of the officers involved share the same sense of patriotism, love of country, and genuine desire for positive change,” he added.
Ma’aji further disclosed that the plot was initially shelved because of inadequate funding, logistics, and manpower, claiming that much of the early financing came from his personal resources.
He explained that one Army Major contributed ₦1 million, while another officer allegedly provided US dollars on several occasions.
Dismissing allegations that the coup plot was revived after he failed for a second time to secure a promotion to the rank of Brigadier General in 2024, Ma’aji stressed that this was not the principal reason for the movement.
He cited widespread dissatisfaction with the removal of the fuel subsidy, exchange-rate reforms, taxation, electricity tariffs, corruption, and insecurity.
He also referred to the government’s handling of protests such as #EndSARS and #EndBadGovernance, claiming that many young Nigerians had become frustrated by unemployment and economic hardship.
