Eshioromeh Sebastian in Abuja
Wives and family members of military officers detained in connection with an alleged plot to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu have appealed to the Federal Government to either grant them access to their loved ones or ensure they are brought before an open court of law.
Speaking at an emotional press conference in Abuja on Friday, the families, comprising no fewer than 20 wives and their children—including a two-month-old baby—lamented that the suspects have been held incommunicado for over 160 days without trial.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the families, Memuna Bashiru said the prolonged detention had plunged their households into anguish and uncertainty.
“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,” she said.
Bashiru further revealed that some of the detained officers had lost close family members during the period of their detention but were unaware of the deaths because their wives had been denied access to them.
“While our husbands are in detention, we have lost some family members because of their ordeal. For instance, one of the detained soldiers, Hayatu, lost his father. Another officer, Zuzu, lost his mother. But the painful part is that they are not aware of their deaths yet because we were not granted access to see them. We don’t even know exactly where they are being held,” she added.
The families also raised concerns over inconsistencies in the official narrative surrounding the alleged coup plot, noting that the amount of money initially linked to the suspects had been reduced from N12bn to N835m.
Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju and activist Omoyele Sowore were present at the briefing to lend their support to the families. Adeyanju described the continued detention without access to legal representation as a violation of the 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Sowore, who held the two-month-old baby of one of the detained officers during the briefing, said the child had never seen his 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 has been detained for five months,” Sowore said.
The families appealed directly to President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu to intervene, urging that the suspects be granted access to their relatives and given a fair hearing in line with the law.
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