A senior officer of the Nigerian Navy, Lieutenant Commander B. Abdullahi, has been allegedly named among the military personnel detained by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) over an alleged plot to topple President Bola Tinubu’s government.
Authoritative sources confirmed to SaharaReporters that Abdullahi, who belongs to the 56 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), is currently in custody alongside two Air Force personnel and several Nigerian Army officers.
Reports earlier indicated that the officers, led by a Brigadier General, were picked up for allegedly planning a coup during Nigeria’s Independence Day celebrations on October 1.
While the military authorities maintained that the detentions were linked to “repeated failure in promotion examinations and perceived career stagnation,” insiders insisted the arrests were directly tied to the alleged coup plot.
The detained officers have reportedly been held for more than three weeks in an undisclosed facility in Abuja. Family members initially feared their loved ones had been kidnapped due to the absence of official communication from the military.
A top source identified one of the alleged ringleaders as Lieutenant Colonel Al-Makura, adding that the arrests cut across the three services.
“Like I told you earlier, it was trio service. Two Air Force personnel, one from Bayelsa State and the other from Jigawa. Also, a Naval officer was arrested, he is B. Abdullahi (56RC),” the source revealed.