Alleged Coup Plotters: Families of Detained Officers Raise Alarm Over Prolonged Secret Detention

Families of sixteen Nigerian military officers detained by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) have expressed growing concern over the continued secret detention of their loved ones, who have now spent more than three weeks in custody without access to lawyers or relatives. The officers were earlier reported to have been arrested in connection with an alleged coup plot being investigated by the Bola Tinubu administration and military authorities.

Sources within the military and among the families told Reporters that the officers are being held under “unusual and suspicious conditions” at an undisclosed location in Abuja. Some relatives said they initially believed their loved ones had been kidnapped due to the absence of official communication from the military.

“It’s been 18 days since those 16 officers were detained in an undisclosed location. At first, we thought our brother was kidnapped before finding out what transpired from his friend who works in the NSA office,” one family member said. “No official explanation from the military till date. None of the families has been allowed to visit or even call them. Everyone is scared about their present condition.”

The DIA, which functions under the Ministry of Defence and is mainly tasked with intelligence gathering and counter-espionage, is not traditionally responsible for trying officers accused of offences. Its decision to detain the suspects instead of referring them to their respective service commands has raised questions about legality and due process.

A retired security expert told Sahara Reporters that the agency’s actions fall outside its jurisdiction. “If an army officer offends, the Army handles it. The same goes for the Navy and Air Force,” he said. “We want to know when the DIA started handling cases of indiscipline. When did it become a military court?”

The expert alleged that the detentions may be politically motivated. “Why only 16 officers? Why from all three services? This doesn’t follow standard military procedure,” he said. He added that if the arrests were part of a broader disciplinary review, “over 10,000 cases” of misconduct could have been identified.

He also faulted the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, for offering what he described as evasive responses in recent media engagements. “The press should have pressed for answers on why the DIA is detaining these officers and why the families have been denied access,” he said.

The alleged coup plot, first reported by Sahara Reporters on Saturday, reportedly involves officers attached to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) led by Nuhu Ribadu. Although the military publicly attributed the detentions to “repeated failure in promotion examinations and career stagnation,” sources insist the move is tied to suspicions of a coup attempt.

Families of the detained officers are demanding transparency and access, urging authorities to disclose the officers’ locations and clarify the nature of the ongoing investigation.