This is contrary to a claim by the Defence Headquarters on Monday that 16 officers were arrested and being investigated for allegedly involved in plotting to overthrow the government
At least 35 Nigerian military officers are currently being detained over an alleged coup plot against the Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government, Bellnews has learnt.
This is contrary to a claim by the Defence Headquarters on Monday that 16 officers were arrested and being investigated for allegedly involved in plotting to overthrow the government
The military authorities had in statement said the indicted officers would be arraigned before military judicial panels.
The statement titled “UPDATE ON DISCIPLINARY CASES INVOLVING SIXTEEN OFFICERS INVESTIGATED FOR INDISCIPLINE, BREACH OF SERVICE REGULATIONS” was signed by Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba.
“It would be recalled that the Defence Headquarters issued a press statement in October 2025 regarding the arrest of sixteen officers over acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations,” the statement said.
However, top military sources told Bellnews that 35 military personnel including 33 northerners and an operative of a paramilitary organisation are currently being detained over the coup plot.
Among the officers are; an army Brigadier General, 2 Colonels, 5 Lieutenant Colonels, 1 Wing Commander (Air Force equivalent of a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army), 8 Majors, 1 Lieutenant Commander (Navy equivalent of a Major in the Army), 2 Squadron Leaders (Air Force equivalent of a Major in the Army), 5 Captains, and a Lieutenant.
Also in detention are 10 non-commissioned officer (NCO) which include a Warrant Officer, 5 Sergeants, one Corporal and two Lance Corporals.
The source revealed that one of the detained Army Captains, A Yusuf is from Osun State.
Another Southerner on the list is Squadron Leader Zuzu, a senior Air Force Officer from Bayelsa State while the 33 others are all from the Northern part of the country including the FCT.
“The Defence Headquarters keeps deceiving Nigerians, the total number of officers under detention are 35 (Army, navy, Airforce). Why releasing a statement again claiming 16?
“It’s glaring the military authorities are hiding something. We even learnt that some of the arrested officers were forced to admit to the crime under duress, just to suit the report they intend to submit to the President,” one of the sources said.
He added, “Also, I want you to know that some of these military officers were invited from outside Nigeria where they were doing different courses.”
Calls put across to Major General Uba were not picked nor returned. WhatsApp message sent to his line was yet to be replied as of the time of this report.
In October 2025, SaharaReporters exclusively reported how some military officers were arrested by the Defence Intelligence Agency in Abuja over an alleged plot to overthrow President Tinubu’s government.
The DIA, established in 1986, is Nigeria’s primary military intelligence body. It is responsible for gathering and providing intelligence to the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence to counter security threats, safeguard national integrity, and support military operations, including ongoing efforts against terrorism and insurgency.
In October 2025, top military sources disclosed the names and departments of some senior military officers who were at the time being detained over the alleged plot.
Bellnews had earlier exclusively reported that a Nigerian Navy officer, Lieutenant Commander B. Abdullahi, was among the senior officers held in connection with the case.
Sources at the Defence Headquarters confirmed that the officers, drawn from the Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air Force, were arrested in coordinated operations by military intelligence operatives following weeks of covert surveillance.
However, the Defence Headquarters initially dismissed the reports, saying the arrest of the officers mentioned in the reports was unrelated to any alleged coup plot.
Meanwhile, Bellnews had reported on January 23, 2026, that at least five of the detained officers fell ill while in custody, with two reportedly collapsing due to worsening conditions.
Sources disclosed that the officers were allegedly transferred from an initial DIA detention facility to an underground military cell in Abuja described as dark and poorly ventilated.
Families of the detained officers have repeatedly raised concerns over what they described as inhumane treatment, prolonged incommunicado detention, and denial of access to lawyers and relatives.
Some spouses told Bellnews that they were not informed of transfers between detention facilities and had been barred from visits since the arrests.
The case has also drawn political attention following reports that military operatives raided the Maitama, Abuja 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 matter as politically motivated.
Despite earlier official denials of any coup plot, Monday’s statement by the DHQ now formally acknowledges that allegations of plotting to overthrow the government were among the findings against some of the detained officers.