FAMILIES OF OFFICERS IN DETENTION OVER 'COUP PLOT' APPEAL TO TINUBU FOR OPEN TRIAL

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Family members of military officers who are being held because they are accused of planning a coup have asked President Bola Tinubu to let the accused be tried in a public court.

At a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the wives and other relatives of the detained officers also asked for the chance to meet with the people suspected of organizing the coup.

Omoyele Sowore, activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, and Deji Adeyanju, a lawyer, attended the press conference. In January 2025, the defence headquarters (DHQ) stated that there was a plan to carry out a coup against Tinubu.

Samaila Uba, who leads the defence information department at DHQ, explained that during investigations following proper military steps, some people were found to be part of the coup plan.

He mentioned that the officers would appear before the appropriate military courts.

In October 2025, the federal government announced that the parade, which was originally planned to mark the country‘s 65th independence anniversary on October 1, would be canceled.

A few days later, some news came out saying that the cancellation of the independence celebration was connected to a possible coup.

But the DHQ said those reports were not true and claimed the event was canceled for other reasons, not because of the coup.

Speaking at the press conference on behalf of the detained officers’ families, Memuna Bashiru said the suspected coup planners have been detained for more than 160 days without being taken to an open court for trial.

Bashiru said families of the detained officers have lived in uncertainty and fear since their detention.

“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,” she said.

“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.

“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 appealed to the president and Oluremi Tinubu, the first lady, to look at the situation with justice and compassion and examine the case with an “open mind”.

“We appeal to 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,” she said.

“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.

“We respectfully ask for compassion and transparency. Grant us access to our husbands. Let us see them and know they are safe and alive.

“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.”