A Nigerian Navy Lieutenant Commander facing trial over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration has admitted sending a WhatsApp message describing the President as “scared” following the cancellation of the October 1 Independence Day parade.
According to Premium Times, the 38-year-old officer from Kogi State, Bayawo Abdullahi, made the admission in a statement obtained by investigators probing the alleged coup attempt.
Abdullahi acknowledged sending the message to the alleged leader of the plot, Nigerian Army Colonel Mohammed Ma’aji, shortly after the Federal Government announced the cancellation of the annual Independence Day parade.
Premium Times had reported that security agencies uncovered the alleged plot in September 2025, leading initially to the arrest of 16 military officers.
About 40 people, including senior officers from different branches of the Armed Forces, a police officer and civilians, were subsequently arrested over their alleged connections to the plot.
While serving military personnel implicated in the case are facing proceedings before a General Court-Martial, six civilians and former military officers are being prosecuted before a civil court.
Following the disruption of the alleged plot, authorities cancelled the October 1 Independence Day parade and later made changes to the military hierarchy.
Although reports linked the parade cancellation to the alleged coup attempt, the Defence Headquarters said at the time that the event was called off to enable Tinubu to “attend a strategic bilateral meeting outside the country.”
The cancellation, however, reportedly occurred on the same day Ma’aji was arrested.
Recalling his communication with the colonel, Abdullahi admitted sending a message after learning that the parade had been cancelled.
“There was a time I sent a message to Col. Ma’aji after the 1 October parade was cancelled,” Abdullahi stated.
He recalled writing, “The man has cancelled the parade; the bagger is scared.”
It could not be immediately established whether Abdullahi was aware of Ma’aji’s arrest when he sent the WhatsApp message.
The naval officer told investigators that his remark was based on his perception of Tinubu’s previous attendance at Independence Day parades rather than knowledge of an impending operation.
“I just said this phrase because of the history of the president not attending the parade,” he stated.
Officer Admits Misconduct.
Abdullahi nevertheless acknowledged that his action constituted misconduct and could be interpreted as disloyalty to the President.
“I accept that my actions have threatened the national security of Nigeria and are also disloyal to the president,” his statement read.
Investigators also questioned him on whether the message was connected to alleged discussions among the suspected plotters about October 1 being a possible date for executing their plan.
Abdullahi denied having such knowledge, insisting that Ma’aji had not informed him of any decision to carry out the operation on Independence Day.
He stated, “I just said this out of ignorance, and I can state categorically that I was not aware that the October 1 parade was to be the execution date.
“Col Maaji did not inform me. That probably would have been discussed during their subsequent meetings, which I did not attend.”
Abdullahi Recounts Promotion Grievances
The lieutenant commander also disclosed that he had longstanding grievances concerning his career progression in the Nigerian Navy.
According to him, his promotion challenges dated back to 2018, when he failed to advance alongside some of his coursemates.
He said, “I was not promoted alongside my coursemates.
“When it was time for our promotion, a case arose in Apapa, and some of us were released, while those who were supposed to be promoted that year missed out because we received letters of displeasure.”
Abdullahi said his career challenges continued after he was posted to Maiduguri and subsequently withdrawn from the Senior Course at Jaji over an examination-related allegation.
He further stated, “After I was denied promotion, I was still posted to Maiduguri. Then again, at Jaji, we were withdrawn from the Senior Course because we were accused of examination.”
Despite his interactions with Ma’aji, Abdullahi reportedly told investigators that he doubted the colonel possessed the resources necessary to successfully carry out a coup.
He said the alleged plan appeared unrealistic because of inadequate logistics, adding that he eventually regarded Ma’aji as a “joker” and stopped responding regularly to his messages.
Abdullahi maintained that he was not deeply involved in the alleged operational planning.
“I was not really into his plans and what and how he intends to do that,” he said.
The naval officer, however, expressed regret that he failed to alert the appropriate authorities after becoming aware of the discussions, claiming he did not know whom to approach with the information.
Officer Seeks Improved Military Welfare
Abdullahi also proposed measures he believed could reduce grievances among members of the Armed Forces and prevent similar incidents.
He called for more effective channels through which military personnel could communicate their concerns to the Federal Government, particularly in cases involving disciplinary sanctions for actions they considered unintentional.
The officer also raised concerns about education costs, arguing that fees charged by some military welfare schools had risen to levels comparable with private schools.
He further urged the government to tackle economic hardship and hunger while improving the general welfare and living conditions of military personnel.
Abdullahi also advocated affordable homeownership schemes for officers as part of broader measures to improve morale within the Armed Forces.
