Tinubu’s Shake-Up in Military Leadership Follows Reports of Coup Plot, DIA Detentions

President Bola Tinubu’s recent removal of Nigeria’s service chiefs appears increasingly tied to reports of an alleged coup plot and the secret detention of 16 senior military officers by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). While the Presidency has maintained that the overhaul was part of efforts to “strengthen national security,” the timing of the changes suggests a deeper crisis within the armed forces.

The reshuffle came just days after reports emerged of growing suspicion and internal investigations into possible disloyalty among top-ranking officers. SaharaReporters had exclusively revealed that 16 military personnel drawn from the Army, Navy, and Air Force were being held incommunicado by the DIA at an undisclosed location in Abuja over an alleged plot to destabilize the government.

The detained officers are reportedly linked to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), led by Nuhu Ribadu. Family members say they have received no official explanation for the arrests and initially believed their relatives had been abducted.

Although the Presidency insists the service chiefs’ removal was routine, security analysts and political observers see it as a direct response to the reported coup scare and growing unease in the ranks. A top security source described the move as a “preemptive consolidation of loyalty” within the military, meant to prevent any challenge to Tinubu’s authority.

In the new appointments, General Olufemi Oluyede replaced General Christopher Musa as Chief of Defence Staff, Major-General W. Shaibu became Chief of Army Staff, Air Vice Marshal S.K. Aneke assumed office as Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral I. Abbas was named Chief of Naval Staff. Notably, Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye was retained as Chief of Defence Intelligence—the same agency at the centre of the coup probe—raising questions about continuity and internal power dynamics.

Despite government denials of any coup attempt, the simultaneous detention of senior officers and a full-scale leadership change have reinforced public speculation that the administration is battling distrust within the military hierarchy.

Babatunde Akintunde of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) accused the government of misleading Nigerians. “The Presidency dismissed reports of a coup and accused the media of disinformation, but days later, all service chiefs were removed. That’s not coincidence—it’s crisis management,” he said.

For now, the Presidency is portraying the development as a strategic reorganization. But within military and political circles, the question remains whether the shake-up was a show of strength—or a sign of mounting insecurity at the very top.