Minister of Defense, General Christopher Musa (rtd.), has disclosed why the military initially denied the failed coup against President Bola Tinubu.

He made the comment in a recent interview on ‘Sunday Politics’, stating that the military needed verifiable facts before confirming the coup.

He said: “Once you mention coup, you will not see some of these guys because they know the consequences.

“The truth is that we wanted to be sure because it was an act of indiscipline and it’s all part of it because for what they did started just like that.

“So, it was during the investigation that these things got revealed. And so, it was important for us to follow the steps to ensure that what we are reporting is direct.

“This is because coup is such a serious thing that we don’t want to say this today and tomorrow we say another thing. It’s better we say no for now until we find out after the investigation.”

Recall that there was an alleged coup plan in late September 2025 to remove Tinubu.

The Defense Headquarters, however, on January 26, finally confirmed the plot through joint intelligence from the army, Department of State Services, DSS, and Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA.