Fresh details have emerged over the ongoing investigation into an alleged coup plot against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with military sources claiming that no fewer than 35 personnel are currently being detained—contrary to the Defence Headquarters’ (DHQ) official position that only 16 officers are under investigation.

SaharaReporters reported that top military sources disclosed that the detainees include officers of the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as an operative of a paramilitary organisation. This contradicts a statement issued on Monday by the DHQ, which maintained that 16 officers were arrested for acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations, including allegations of plotting to overthrow the government.

The DHQ statement, titled “Update on Disciplinary Cases Involving Sixteen Officers Investigated for Indiscipline, Breach of Service Regulations,” was signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba. It noted that the indicted officers would be arraigned before appropriate military judicial panels.

However, military insiders told SaharaReporters that those currently in detention include an Army Brigadier General, two Colonels, five Lieutenant Colonels, one Wing Commander of the Nigerian Air Force, eight Majors, one Lieutenant Commander of the Nigerian Navy, two Squadron Leaders, five Captains and one Lieutenant. Also reportedly detained are 10 non-commissioned officers, comprising a Warrant Officer, five Sergeants, a Corporal and two Lance Corporals.

According to the sources, the detainees are predominantly from the northern part of the country, including the Federal Capital Territory, with a few officers from the South. They identified one of the detained officers as an Army Captain, A. Yusuf, from Osun State, and another as Squadron Leader Zuzu, an Air Force officer from Bayelsa State.

One of the sources accused the military authorities of withholding information from the public, alleging that some of the officers were coerced into making confessions under duress. The source further claimed that some of the detained personnel were invited back into the country from overseas courses before being taken into custody.

Efforts to obtain clarification from the Director of Defence Information were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to Major General Uba were not returned as of the time of filing this report.

The controversy dates back to October 2025, when SaharaReporters first reported that several military officers had been arrested by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Abuja over an alleged plot to topple President Tinubu’s government. The DHQ initially dismissed the reports, stating that the arrests were not related to any coup plot.

Subsequent reports named some of the detained officers, including a Nigerian Navy officer, Lieutenant Commander B. Abdullahi, and revealed that the arrests followed weeks of covert surveillance by military intelligence operatives.

Meanwhile, concerns have continued to mount over the welfare of the detained officers. SaharaReporters reported on January 23, 2026, that at least five of them had fallen ill in custody, with two reportedly collapsing. Families of the detainees have alleged inhumane treatment, prolonged incommunicado detention, denial of access to legal counsel and relatives, and transfers between detention facilities without notice.

The case has also attracted political attention following reports that military operatives raided the Abuja residence of a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva. Sylva later confirmed the visit but denied any involvement, describing attempts to link him to the investigation as politically motivated.

Despite earlier official denials, the latest statement from the Defence Headquarters has now formally acknowledged that allegations of plotting to overthrow the government formed part of the findings against some of the officers under investigation.

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