Nigeria: Inside Suspected Coup Plotters' Key Regime Agenda

What the report says

AllAfrica, republishing a Premium Times report dated 28 July 2026, says investigators recovered notes that allegedly outline the early agenda of suspected plotters accused of planning to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government the previous year. The report identifies the alleged coup leader as Mohammed Ma’aji, a Nigerian Army colonel, and says many alleged conspirators are now facing proceedings in military and civilian courts.

According to Premium Times, the handwritten material contained a three-item “Immediate Actions” plan for a proposed regime. The listed steps were to create committees to review Tinubu’s fuel subsidy removal, examine pay for members of the Armed Forces and security agencies, and recommend national honours for personnel killed in service. Tinubu ended fuel subsidy payments at his May 2023 inauguration, a decision widely associated with higher petrol prices and broader cost-of-living pressures.

Premium Times reports that the note was allegedly found at Ma’aji’s residence, examined by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and submitted to Defence Headquarters in a forensic report dated 26 January. The outlet says Ma’aji, in an extrajudicial statement during questioning, acknowledged writing the action plans, motivational quotations and related entries while preparing for a possible takeover.

The reported documents also suggest the alleged plot was framed around military welfare concerns. Premium Times says Ma’aji claimed widespread discontent among personnel over salaries, allowances and conditions of service, while broader complaints from serving and retired Nigerian military members have long featured in public debate. The report presents the planned subsidy review as a possible attempt to appeal beyond the armed forces to Nigerians affected by rising living costs.