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…AND THE COLONEL AS BRAIN BEHIND IT

January 28, 2026 • Dons Eze • 1 min read

Mohammed Ma’aji, a Nigerian military colonel, has been reported to be the face behind the foiled coup aimed at toppling President Bola Tinubu’s government.

Although authorities earlier denied the report, the Defence Headquarters admitted on Monday, January 26 that about sixteen military officers plotted to overthrow the current administration.

Colonel M. A. Ma’aji was number one in the list of 16 indicted officers released on Monday by the panel set up to investigate the matter.

This confirmed earlier reports indicating that Ma’aji led the failed coup.

Here are a few things to know about the prime suspect;

Colonel Ma’aji was a security adviser to Timi Sylva in the 2015 Bayelsa State gubernatorial election.

Ma’aji was born in 1976 to Nupe parents, in Niger State.

He was a member of regular course 47 of the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA.

Ma’aji served as Commanding Officer, CO of the 19 Battalion in Okitipupa, Ondo State, before he was posted to Koko, headquarters of Warri North LGA, Delta State, in 2017.

Dons Eze

DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.