Wives of Detained Officers Cry Witch-Hunt Over Alleged Coup Plot Against Tinubu
Wives of Nigerian military officers detained over an alleged coup plot against the Bola Tinubu-led government have accused the authorities of carrying out a witch-hunt, insisting their husbands are innocent of any plan to overthrow the administration.
Speaking to SaharaReporters, the women said the detained officers are professional personnel who have been unfairly targeted under the guise of national security investigations.
“Honestly, most of them are highly professional and dedicated officers, sentiments aside,” one of the wives said.
“They want to do what former President Olusegun Obasanjo did to the North to cripple us,” she added.
She recalled that upon assuming office in 1999, Obasanjo retired at least 93 military officers.
OSUN DEFENDER reported that 35 military personnel, including 33 northerners and one operative of a paramilitary organisation, were being detained over the alleged coup plot.
Those detained include a Brigadier General, two Colonels, five Lieutenant Colonels, one Wing Commander, eight Majors, one Lieutenant Commander, two Squadron Leaders, five Captains, and one Lieutenant.
Also in custody are 10 non-commissioned officers, including a Warrant Officer, five Sergeants, one Corporal, and two Lance Corporals.
One of the detained Army Captains, A. Yusuf, is from Osun State.
A Squadron Leader, Zuzu, a senior Air Force officer, hails from Bayelsa State.
The remaining 33 officers are reportedly from northern Nigeria, including three from the Federal Capital Territory.
Two of the officers, a Brigadier General and a Lieutenant Colonel, are from Nasarawa State.
Six officers, including three non-commissioned officers, are from Niger State.
Three officers from Katsina State are among those detained, including a Colonel who was on a course in a North African country.
Three Lieutenant Colonels are from Kaduna, Plateau, and Kano states.
Two Majors hail from Gombe State, while another is from Bauchi State.
Others are from Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Taraba, Yobe, Kogi, Sokoto, and Adamawa states.
A spouse of one of the detainees alleged that some officers were implicated simply for having financial dealings with those already arrested.
“All the officers were either arrested or invited from their various places of duty,” she said.
“They were not gathered or seen in the same place.”
She argued that if there had been a real plot, the officers would have fled once arrests began.
“Instead, some of them even came by themselves when invited,” she said.
She added that her husband and others were indicted merely for financial transactions with officers already under investigation.
“We condemn all Northern elders over their continuous silence, as they are just a bunch of cowards,” she said.
She prayed that the innocent would be vindicated and that justice would be served.
The woman further alleged that the detentions were aimed at reducing northern influence within the military.
She cited Obasanjo’s actions after his inauguration, including the retirement of officers perceived to be politically ambitious.
She also recalled the dismissal of then service chiefs, including Lieutenant-General Victor Malu, following disagreements with the civilian government.
“Now his brother from the South West, Tinubu, is following suit, claiming coup,” she said.
“He should come out straight about his plan to remove many Northern officers from positions of power,” she added.
In October 2025, OSUN DEFENDER reported that some military officers were arrested by the Defence Intelligence Agency in Abuja over an alleged plot to overthrow President Tinubu’s government.
The Defence Intelligence Agency is Nigeria’s primary military intelligence body, established in 1986 to counter security threats and safeguard national integrity.
Military sources later disclosed the identities of some senior officers detained over the alleged plot.
It was also reported that a Nigerian Navy officer, Lieutenant Commander B. Abdullahi, was among those held.
Sources at the Defence Headquarters said the arrests were carried out in coordinated operations after weeks of covert surveillance.
However, the Defence Headquarters initially denied that the arrests were linked to any coup plot.
Last Friday, OSUN DEFENDER reported that at least five detained officers had fallen ill while in custody.
Two of them were said to have collapsed as their conditions worsened.
Sources alleged that the officers were transferred from an initial DIA facility to an underground detention cell in Abuja described as dark and poorly ventilated.
Families of the detainees have repeatedly raised concerns over alleged inhumane treatment and prolonged incommunicado detention.
Some spouses said they were denied access to lawyers and relatives and were not informed when their husbands were transferred between facilities.
The case has also drawn political attention following reports that military operatives raided the Maitama residence of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.
Sylva confirmed the visit but denied any involvement, describing the claims as politically motivated.
Despite earlier official denials, a statement by the Defence Headquarters on Monday acknowledged that allegations of plotting to overthrow the government were among the findings against some of the detained officers.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
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