A Nollywood filmmaker and actor, Stanley Amandi, has been arrested alongside military officers accused of planning a violent overthrow of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
According to reports by Premium Times, Amandi, a director and former chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) was arrested in September 2025, marking the first public disclosure of his alleged involvement in the foiled coup plot.
Investigations revealed that the actor was allegedly recruited by suspected coup plotters to serve as a propagandist as part of preparations for what security sources described as a violent takeover of government.
Security sources disclosed that the alleged plot involved plans to assassinate top government officials, including President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
On Monday, the Defence Headquarters officially confirmed that investigations uncovered a plan to illegally overthrow the Tinubu administration, adding that officers implicated in the plot would be arraigned before appropriate military judicial panels.
In a statement, the military said investigations had been concluded and forwarded to the “appropriate superior authority in line with extant regulations.”
“The comprehensive investigation, conducted in accordance with established military procedures, examined all circumstances surrounding the conduct of the affected personnel,” the statement said.
The Defence Headquarters added that findings revealed “a number of officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government,” describing such actions as inconsistent with the ethics, values, and professional standards of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
It would be recalled that in October 2025, reports emerged that 16 military officers were under investigation over an alleged coup plot. At the time, the Army dismissed the reports, stating that the officers were being investigated for indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.
However, further investigations reportedly led to the arrest of additional officers and civilians, including the Nollywood actor.
Sources familiar with the probe disclosed that suspects would face both court-martial proceedings and civil trials, depending on their status. While serving military officers are expected to be tried by military tribunals, civilians implicated in the alleged plot, including Amandi, will be prosecuted in civil courts.
Stanley Amandi is a notable figure in Nollywood, having worked as an actor, production manager, producer, and director. His works include The Album (director), Tiger King (director/producer, 2008), Cornerstone (2019), and Once Upon a Dream (actor, 2024).
His last Instagram post was dated September 19, 2025, shortly before his reported arrest.
