Wives and family members of military officers detained over an alleged coup plot on Friday appealed to President Bola Tinubu to grant them access to their husbands and ensure they are either freed or brought before a court of law.
The appeal was made during a press briefing in Abuja, where the families, accompanied by human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, lamented that the officers had been held for more than 160 days without trial or contact with their relatives.
No fewer than 20 wives of the detained officers attended the briefing alongside their children, including a two-month-old baby.
They include Firdaus Usman, Farida Lawal, Hauwa Aliu, Aisha Sadiq, Hassana Salihu, Fatima Muhammad, Zahra Abba, Khadija A. Hayatu, Helen Sunday, Memuna Bashiru (who read the speech), Aisha Ibrahim and two month-old Ahmad Musajida.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the families, Basir said the continued detention had plunged their households into uncertainty and anguish.
“We stand before you as families, wives, mothers, and relatives, whose husbands and brothers have been in detention for over 160 days without being brought before an open court of law. For more than five months, our families have lived with uncertainty, fear, and unanswered questions.
“Today, we are here for one simple reason: to ask that justice be done openly and in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. These past months have been deeply painful for our families,” she said.
She said while allegations against the officers had been widely reported, their families had been left in the dark.
“We have watched helplessly as narratives are presented to the public, subjecting our husbands to a media trial. At the same time, some of us have faced intimidation from the very men in uniform who swore to protect Nigerians.
“Our husbands served this country faithfully on the frontlines, risking their lives in defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Today, their families are left with fear, uncertainty, and unanswered questions. We speak today not with anger, but with the heavy hearts of wives and mothers,” she lamented.
Basir appealed directly to the President and the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, urging them to intervene in the matter.
The families said they were not seeking favours but demanding adherence to constitutional rights.
“We appeal to Mr President, Bola Tinubu, a father and grandfather, and to Her Excellency the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, a mother, grandmother and revered pastor, as leaders of this nation at this moment in time, to please look upon our situation with compassion, wisdom, courage and justice. We respectfully beseech you to examine and be receptive to all the facts of this highly sensitive case with an open mind.
“We ask only for what the 1999 Constitution guarantees every Nigerian: that our husbands be treated as innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law. The allegations against them must not be used as a tool or a scapegoat. We want due process, nothing more and nothing less,” she said.
They also appealed to the military authorities to allow them see their husbands.
“We respectfully ask for compassion and transparency. Grant us access to our husbands. Let us see them and know they are safe and alive”, she begged.
Basir further raised concerns over what she described as inconsistencies in the official narrative surrounding the arrests.
“There are inconsistencies that have raised serious concerns. Initially, the public was told that N12bn had been discovered in the account of one of the officers. Today, the narrative has changed. The amount is now said to be N835m and it is reportedly in a company account rather than the account of any officer. What was once presented as N12bn has now been reduced by more than 93 per cent.
“Furthermore, the allegations themselves have changed. At first, the officers were reportedly arrested for indiscipline. Later, the allegation became conspiracy to commit a coup d’état. We respectfully ask: what changed? If there is evidence, it should be presented openly in court”, she queried.
She noted that the military had earlier announced that investigations into the matter had been concluded.
“Mr. President, the military publicly stated over six weeks ago that investigations had been concluded. If that is the case, justice must now move forward.
“We respectfully request that the trials commence immediately in an open court of law visible to all Nigerians. We do not want secret proceedings or a media trial. If our husbands are guilty, let it be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. But if they are innocent, justice demands that they be set free,” she pleaded.
The families also called on civil society organisations, religious leaders, the legal community and the international community to monitor the case closely.
“We are not asking for favours or shortcuts. We are asking for our constitutional rights, the truth, and the safe return of our husbands. If there is evidence, bring them before a court of law. If there is none, let them go free,” she said.
Speaking at the briefing, Adeyanju said the continued detention of the officers without access to their families or legal representatives violated fundamental rights.
“The reason why we gathered is because of two major salient issues. First, since the arrest of these officers, members of their family have not been allowed to have access to them and they have not been allowed to have access to legal representation, which is a clear foundation of Section 35, Article 5 of the African Charter and Article 9 of the Civil and Political Rights Principles.
“This is the reason we have decided to identify with members of the family and also the issues surrounding the so-called coup. There are a lot of loopholes and questions that are demanding for answers. This is the reason we have gathered here in solidarity today,” ” he said.
Adeyanju added that many family members of the detained officers, including elderly parents and children, were present at the briefing.
“In our midst today, we have here many of the detained officers’ wives, families, children and the elderly. Some of these elderly people have served this country for over 35 years and have retired.
“We even heard that there was an Islamic cleric who was also detained alongside many of these officers. In our estimation, from members of the families that we are speaking with, we hear that almost over a hundred people have been detained, which is indeed very strange,” he said.
The Abuja-based lawyer warned that allegations of coup plots had historically been used against prominent political figures in Nigeria, urging authorities to exercise caution in handling the current case involving detained military officers.
Citing past examples, he recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was once accused of plotting a coup against the regime of Sani Abacha and was detained for months despite denying involvement.
Adeyanju also referenced the experiences of former President Umaru Yar’Adua and ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, who at different times faced similar accusations and imprisonment.
He cautioned that those currently in power could one day find themselves in similar circumstances, stressing that allegations of treason must be handled transparently and in accordance with the law.
According to him, the government should either present credible evidence against the detained officers in court or release them if no case can be established.
Also speaking, Sowore said the families deserved justice and transparency.
“I want to encourage members of the distressed families of the so-called alleged coup d’etat that we are here to ensure that justice is done, no matter what it will take,” he said.
“I have experienced many instances where people are accused of plotting coups they never participated in. None of these things often turned out not to be true, but this country has lost too many lives,” he said.
Holding a two-month-old baby during the briefing, Sowore said the child had not seen his detained father since birth.
“By the way, I have a child here in my arms who hasn’t seen his father (since he was born). He’s only two months old. Can you imagine that? He hasn’t seen the father, who’s been detained for five months. He’s got to have his father back. You can see that he is also in distress”, he said.
Sowore insisted that even if the allegations were true, the suspects deserved a fair and transparent trial.
“We shouldn’t live in a country where anything under a democratic society is done in secrecy. Even if it is true that these men committed these offences, they have a right to be given an open, transparent and fair trial in court.
“We must therefore allow their families to speak with them and prepare lawyers for their trial. That is how it is done all over the world. An allegation of a coup plot does not translate to abuse. That’s our position,” he added.
Sowore also issued an ultimatum to the government.
He said, “That is why the government of Bola Tinubu should not be afraid to make this open to all. We are giving them an ultimatum to let these arrested individuals, about 120 of them, be allowed to visit their families, see their lawyers, and be presented for trial if there are genuine allegations against them.
“What we have gathered from their families, as we’ve spoken to so many of them, is that there’s no evidence anywhere. Just some high-level officials who are trying to buy the loyalty of the president and create what we call the ‘fear factor.’ That’s how they control people in power, and claiming that these guys committed an offence of treason.”
Speaking with our correspondent, one of the wives, Helen Sunday, said some families had suffered bereavement while the officers remained in detention.
“While our husbands are in detention, we have lost some family members because of their travail. For instance, one of the detained soldiers, Hayatu, lost his dad. Another officer, Zuzu, lost his mother.
“But the painful part is that they are not aware of their deaths yet. That is because we were not granted access to see them. We don’t even know exactly where they are locked up”, she said.
Online reports that the appeal comes about a month after a pro-democracy group urged the Federal Government to consider releasing officers detained over an alleged coup plot in October 2025, citing concerns over their health and prolonged confinement.
On October 4, 2025, the then Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, announced the arrest of 16 officers for breaches of military regulations and acts of indiscipline.
However, an interim investigation report later indicated that a clandestine network of officers allegedly coordinated by an Army colonel had begun preliminary planning for a coup.
The report said the alleged plot included the covert surveillance of key national assets such as the Presidential Villa, the Armed Forces Complex, Niger Barracks in Abuja and major international airports.
Those reported to be in custody include Brig Gen M. A. Sadiq, Col M. A. Maaji, Lt Col S. Bappah, Lt Col A. A. Hayatu, Lt Col P. Dangnap, Lt Col M. Almakura, Maj A. J. Ibrahim, Maj M. M. Jiddah, Maj M. A. Usman, Maj D. Yusuf, Capt I. Bello, Capt A. A. Yusuf, Lt S. S. Felix, Lt Cdr D. B. Abdullahi, Sqn Ldr S. B. Adamu and Maj I. Dauda.
According to the report, the alleged coup was planned for October 25, 2025, and targeted senior government officials, including Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.