At least 16 Nigerian military officers are reportedly being held incommunicado by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Abuja over an alleged coup plot, according to multiple family members and military sources.
Relatives of the detained officers told SaharaReporters that the men have been held for more than three weeks in undisclosed locations under “unusual and suspicious conditions.”
“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. 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,” one family member said.
The DIA, which operates under the Ministry of Defence, is primarily responsible for intelligence and counter-espionage operations. However, the decision to detain officers rather than hand them over to their respective service authorities has raised concerns about legality, due process, and possible political motives.
A former officer and security analyst described the move as a breach of military protocol.
“In the military, if an army officer offends, he is to be charged by the Nigerian Army directly wherever his unit is. The same applies to the Navy and Air Force. When did the DIA start handling cases of indiscipline? When did it become a military court?” he questioned.
The source suggested the arrests could be politically driven, noting that it was unusual for only 16 officers across the three services to be detained.
“If they are really conducting a disciplinary sweep, over 10,000 cases could easily surface. Why pick only 16 officers and hand them over to the DIA? This doesn’t follow standard military procedure,” he added.
He also criticized the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, for failing to provide clarity on the matter.
“I just realised that the press men who interviewed the DDI lacked professionalism in their questions. Only two questions about why the officers are with the DIA and why they are being denied access to family members would have been good for Brigadier General Gusau,” he said.