An officer of the Nigerian Navy has been identified as one of several senior military personnel detained by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) in an investigation into an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.
SaharaReporters reported exclusively that the suspects were arrested for allegedly planning a coup timed to the October 1 Independence Day celebrations. The news outlet said the group was led by an Army brigadier general and included officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force.
A source within the military identified the naval officer as Lt. Commander B. Abdullahi, of the 56 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy. SaharaReporters also earlier named one alleged ringleader as Lieutenant Colonel Al‑Makura. The source said two Air Force personnel — one from Bayelsa State and another from Jigawa — are among those detained.
The detained officers have been held for more than three weeks in an undisclosed facility in Abuja, according to sources who described their conditions as “unusual and suspicious.” Family members told SaharaReporters they initially believed their relatives had been kidnapped because there was no official communication about the arrests.
In its own statement, the Nigerian military said the detentions were linked to “repeated failure in promotion examinations and perceived career stagnation.” However, multiple security sources told SaharaReporters the arrests were related to an alleged coup plot.
Separately, the newspaper reported that an Army “special team” raided the Abuja residence of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex‑Bayelsa State governor Timipre Sylva, after intelligence allegedly linked him to meetings with some of the detained officers. The report said Sylva’s brother, identified as Paga, was detained during the operation and that the raid also reached Sylva’s Bayelsa home.
Sylva’s office has denied he fled the country to evade questioning. In a statement, his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Julius Bokoru, said Sylva was abroad for a routine medical check‑up and a professional engagement. Bokoru also said Sylva’s Abuja home suffered significant damage during the raid and that the security personnel did not provide a clear explanation or authorisation for the operation.
Requests for comment to the Defence Intelligence Agency and other security agencies were not immediately returned. The allegations, arrests and related searches remain under investigation.
