Fresh details have emerged around the detention of military officers and civilians accused of plotting to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government, with sources revealing that the suspects have been held incommunicado for nearly three months.
According to military sources who spoke with SaharaReporters, more than 50 people — including senior officers across the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as civilians — are currently being detained by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Abuja. Since their arrest, family members have reportedly been denied access to them.
“Their family members have been completely cut off. There are over 50 detainees, both civilians and military personnel, and they have been in detention for about three months,” one source disclosed.
The case is being handled by the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Lieutenant General Emmanuel Parker Undiandeye, who was reappointed by President Tinubu on October 24, 2025. Undiandeye has been in office since June 23, 2023, overseeing Nigeria’s primary military intelligence agency.
The DIA, established in 1986, plays a central role in gathering intelligence for the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence, particularly in counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, and national security operations.
In October, top military sources revealed that at least 16 senior officers were among those detained over the alleged coup plot. These arrests, according to Defence Headquarters insiders, followed weeks of covert surveillance and were carried out through coordinated operations by military intelligence operatives.
Among those reportedly detained is Lieutenant Commander B. Abdullahi of the Nigerian Navy. The officers cut across all three services, with the majority drawn from the Nigerian Army.
Premium Times later compiled profiles of the detained officers, naming Brigadier General Musa Abubakar Sadiq as the alleged leader of the plot. Sadiq has previously faced controversy, having reportedly been detained in October 2024 over allegations involving diversion of rice palliatives and the sale of military equipment.
Other officers in detention include Colonels, Lieutenant Colonels, Majors, Captains, Lieutenants, a Navy Lieutenant Commander, and an Air Force Squadron Leader, with varying service backgrounds and years of experience. Investigations into their alleged roles are said to be ongoing.
The matter took a political turn after SaharaReporters revealed that military operatives had raided the Abuja residence of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva. The operation reportedly followed intelligence linking a “former South-South governor” to alleged secret meetings with some of the detained officers.
Sylva later confirmed that his Maitama residence was raided by a special military team but firmly denied any involvement in the alleged coup plot.
As the investigation continues, concerns are growing over prolonged detention without access to family members, raising questions about due process, transparency, and the handling of one of the most sensitive security cases in recent times.
