Defence Minister Christopher Musa said Nigerians would have fought and opposed coup plotters who planned to topple the government of President Bola Tinubu.

In an interview with Channels TV on Sunday night, Mr Musa dismissed the coup plotters as unserious individuals who need to reset their brains.

“I think these guys were a bunch of unserious individuals. I look at the calibre of the individuals, I don’t know what got into their heads to think they could take on the armed forces like that,” Mr Musa said.

The Nigerian military, in January, confirmed a failed plot by 16 senior officers to overthrow the government of Mr Tinubu. Though reports on the coup were initially denied, the confirmation came months after the military rounded up several top military officers around the country.

However, the minister said Nigerians had opposed military rule in the past years, and those who planned a recent failed coup to oust Mr Tinubu from power would have faced opposition from Nigerians.

“I said, even Nigerians would have fought them. Nigerians would have stood against them. Remember, Nigerians have fought against military rule before. Mr President was part of it. So for them to just wake up and think they could do that in Nigeria, I think something went wrong, and they need to reset their brain,” Mr Musa said.

Asked if his appointment as minister of defence was a compensation for helping thwart the coup, Mr Musa said, “I was also a target. I was supposed to have been arrested. If I refused arrest, I was supposed to be shot.”

He added, “For me, it is not compensation. It’s just an idea that he (President Tinubu) understands that we are sincere with what we are doing.”

Former Chief of Defence Staff from June 23, 2023, Mr Musa was tapped for the defence top job upon his retirement on October 30, 2025.