The identity of the Air Force officer allegedly instructed to assassinate National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu in a foiled coup plot has been revealed.
The officer is Squadron Leader SB Adamu from Jigawa State, with service number NAF/3481, sources familiar with the investigation said.
According to TheCable Adamu was deployed to the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), an agency operating under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), about a month before the alleged coup was uncovered.
He was the only suspect found to have any link to the ONSA through that posting.
Military insiders said that in August 2025, when Maj. Gen. Adamu Garba Laka, the National Coordinator of NCTC, requested a specific officer to be posted to the centre, the request was declined.
Instead, Adamu was assigned to the position. This has fueled suspicions that the alleged conspirators may have infiltrated the armed forces from the top.
President Bola Tinubu has since carried out a shake-up in the security leadership, relieving two service chiefs of their duties, including Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar.
According to TheCable, Adamu was allegedly tasked with “taking out” Ribadu, while the other officers were assigned to target senior government figures.
He is reportedly cooperating with security operatives handling the probe.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has yet to confirm the alleged coup plot.
Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, Director of Defence Information, has said the outcome of the investigation into what the DHQ termed “routine internal process aimed at maintaining discipline and professionalism within the ranks” would be made public once completed.
