By Enemona Samuel Endurance
Abuja
Coup Plot Against Tinubu
At least 35 Nigerian military officers are currently being detained over an alleged coup plot against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, The Bureau News has gathered.
This development contradicts an earlier claim by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), which stated that only 16 officers were arrested and under investigation for alleged indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.
In a statement issued on Monday and signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, the DHQ maintained that the officers under probe would be arraigned before military judicial panels.
Conflicting Figures Emerge
The statement titled “Update on Disciplinary Cases Involving Sixteen Officers Investigated for Indiscipline, Breach of Service Regulations” recalled that the Defence Headquarters had earlier announced the arrest of 16 officers in October 2025.
However, multiple senior military sources told The Bureau News that the number of detained personnel is significantly higher, standing at 35 officers drawn from the Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air Force.
According to the sources, the detainees include an Army Brigadier General, two Colonels, five Lieutenant Colonels, one Wing Commander, eight Majors, one Navy Lieutenant Commander, two Air Force Squadron Leaders, five Captains, and one Lieutenant.
Also reportedly in custody are 10 non-commissioned officers, including a Warrant Officer, five Sergeants, one Corporal, and two Lance Corporals.
Regional, Service Composition
Security sources disclosed that 33 of the detained officers are from Northern Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory, while two are from Southern states.
Among the southerners is Army Captain A. Yusuf from Osun State, and Squadron Leader Zuzu, a senior Air Force officer from Bayelsa State.
“The Defence Headquarters keeps deceiving Nigerians. The total number of officers under detention is 35 across the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Why issue another statement claiming only 16?” a military source queried.
“Some of the arrested officers were allegedly forced to make confessions under duress to suit the report meant for submission to the President,” the source added.
Detention Conditions Raise Concerns
The Bureau News learnt that some of the officers were invited back to Nigeria from overseas military courses before their arrest, following weeks of covert surveillance by military intelligence operatives.
In October 2025, SaharaReporters had exclusively reported that several officers were arrested by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Abuja over an alleged plot to overthrow the Tinubu-led government.
Although the Defence Headquarters initially denied any coup-related investigation, it later acknowledged that allegations of plotting to overthrow the government formed part of the findings against some of the detained officers.
On January 23, 2026, reports emerged that at least five of the detained officers fell ill in custody, with two reportedly collapsing due to deteriorating detention conditions.
Sources alleged that the officers were transferred from an initial DIA facility to an underground military cell in Abuja described as dark and poorly ventilated.
Families, Political Ripples
Families of the detainees have repeatedly raised concerns over prolonged incommunicado detention, denial of access to lawyers, and lack of information regarding transfers between detention facilities.
The case has also drawn political attention following reports that military operatives visited the Maitama residence of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, in connection with the investigation.
Sylva later confirmed the visit but denied any involvement, describing attempts to link him to the alleged coup plot as politically motivated.
As of the time of filing this report, calls and messages sent to the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, were not returned.
