With or without a coup, the Chief had to go

“Never believe anything until it is officially denied,” old Claud Cockburn once wrote. The line fits the Tinubu administration perfectly. Surely, the denial did not sit well with the people. Similarly, a list of Army officers is circulating on social media, and the military has remained silent on its authenticity. About 90 per cent of […]

“Never believe anything until it is officially denied,” old Claud Cockburn once wrote.

The line fits the Tinubu administration perfectly.

Surely, the denial did not sit well with the people. Similarly, a list of Army officers is circulating on social media, and the military has remained silent on its authenticity. About 90 per cent of the leaked names are Northerners. This is causing widespread unease in the region. The government must not allow conspiracy theories to govern this discussion.

Amid denials and speculation, the administration has announced changes in the military. Three of the four service chiefs and other serving Generals are reported to be sent packing.  Officially, they claim these are routine changes. Unofficially, we interpret it as a move to close the circle of loyalty.

The biggest casualty of this reshuffle, traded for the loyalists, is the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa. Some will say he was only starting to get comfortable with his job as the CDS, after a few hitches that I will touch on. But in reality, General Musa forgot his place and took political rhetoric more seriously than his profession. This is because a soldier’s primary duty is to wear his uniform and fight the enemy. Simple.

General Musa is an eloquent speaker. His fluency in both Hausa and English improved his media presence and confidence. Unlike his predecessors, who hardly appear in the media, CG Musa took advantage of the media popularity he was getting. He was on CNN, Al Jazeera, the BBC, Arise, Trust, TVC, Channels and many other TV and radio stations. As the media crowded around him, he eventually got distracted with his speeches. He started acting more like the military’s public relations officer and, in some instances, even the administration. He was celebrated. Some were even touting him as the next Vice President or Governor of Kaduna State.

However, he should have known that, under every political order, politicians appointed seasoned professionals to handle many tasks.  Appointing professionals is a way to absolve responsibility, for whenever things go wrong, people can blame someone other than the politician. But the fame distracted General Musa from his primary duty. Yes, he wore his military uniform to the media houses, but insecurity was rising. So, seeing Musa sacked for negligence in the failed but denied coup attempt was not a surprise. In fact, a lot saw it as a good riddance.

Among the many reasons for celebrating his sacking is the drone strike that killed 85 innocent people in Tudun Biri, Kaduna. The killing targeted innocent worshippers, including women and young children. It has been almost two years now, and no justice has been done. If the administrators of the Tinubu administration can include this as one of the reasons he was sacked, the community might get some reprieve.

When it comes to tackling insecurity, Musa’s performance was poor, especially in his own geopolitical zone, the North West. Bello Turji has evaded capture despite airstrikes that killed innocent citizens. Similarly, Katsina bandit-terrorists have reigned supreme over the past two years. Under his leadership, banditry in Katsina State has intensified. Armed groups have conducted numerous attacks, including the deadly mosque assault in August 2025, which resulted in at least 50 deaths.  And the frustrating thing about Musa is that he never takes responsibility for the military’s failure.

But the killings are not limited to his zone alone. Attacks across the country raged on, communities bled, and the forces meant to protect the people seemed paralysed under General Musa’s watch. In North-Central, where Musa has sympathies because of his affiliation with the Middle-Belt, there has been sustained violence, and hundreds have lost their lives over the past two years.

Benue has suffered multiple massacres, with over 500,000 people displaced. The Mgban attack in 2023 and the Yelewata Attack of June 2025 are key examples. Plateau experienced widespread attacks in December 2023. Hundreds died, and more were injured. In Nasarawa, bandits and gunmen have killed security personnel and civilians alike. Terror groups Mahmuda and Lakurawa emerged under his watch, wreaking havoc in Kwara, Kogi and Niger states.

But the worrying thing is that whenever terror strikes, Musa always disappears. And when he finally appears, you will never see him take responsibility as Chief of Defence Staff. You hear him speaking eloquently, using fancy words like “the use of kinetic and non-kinetic approach.”

In one of his outings, he called for a comprehensive security approach, involving the military, government institutions, and the public to combat insecurity. He once called on Nigerians to learn combat skills such as karate for self-defence. He was basically telling people to use their hands to fight people with guns. But the speech enticed his fanboys. On the other hand, critics thought he was a man of “all talk, no action.”

Another example was following the Yelwata massacre in Benue. Musa announced that some local residents had assisted the attackers. But that was the end of it. It was a statement to douse tension. That’s all. No perpetrator was caught. One wonders whether he was lucky enough to catch any culprits during his stint.

At one point, Musa advocated “building walls in our communities” as a defence mechanism against attackers. When I first heard it, I shook my head in disbelief. My initial thought was, “whoever suggested this mechanism is a candidate for the mad house, not the military high command.” I wondered if this General was trying to usher in the Trumpian hateful rhetoric into the Middle Belt, or if he was trying to take us back to the medieval times of Queen Amina. But whatever it was, Musa’s ideas were out of touch, impractical, and dangerously performative.

On balance, some celebrated his media outings, even though the practicality of his ideas was absurd. But regardless of the sympathies, the results speak for themselves. Things have gone wrong for so long under Musa; he has failed. He had to go.

Yes, the Tinubu administration delayed until this security negligence forced them to deny a coup attempt. Regardless of the reasons given, the people will be relieved that Musa is gone, as he demonstrated an inability to secure the lives and property of Nigerians. This has always been the way. It happened to many before Chris Musa. And this is a lesson for the new CDS.