The names and departments of the sixteen senior military officers currently being detained by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) over an alleged plot to overthrow the Bola Tinubu-led government have been disclosed by top sources in the Nigerian military.
Below are the profiles of the detained officers as compiled by Premium Times:
1. Brigadier General Musa Abubakar Sadiq (N/10321) Brigadier General Sadiq is believed to be the suspected leader of the alleged coup plot.
This is not his first brush with controversy. In October 2024, he was reportedly detained for “alleged diversion of rice palliatives and selling of military equipment, including generator sets and operational vehicles to scrap yards.”
2. Colonel M.A. Ma’aji (N/10668)
Colonel Ma’aji, born on March 1, 1976, is a Nupe native from Niger State.
3. Lieutenant Colonel S. Bappah (N/13036)
Lt. Col. Bappah, from Bauchi State is a member of the 56 Regular Course.
4. Lieutenant Colonel A.A. Hayatu (N/13038)
A native of Kaduna State.
5. Lieutenant Colonel P. Dangnap (N/13025) from Plateau State, Dangnap. He was court-martialed in 2015 alongside 29 others for offences linked to the Boko Haram war.
6. Lieutenant Colonel M. Almakura (N/12983)
Lt. Col. Almakura, also from Nasarawa State, was born on March 18, 1983.
7. Major A.J. Ibrahim (N/13065)
From Gombe State, Major Ibrahim was born on June 12, 1987.
8. Major M.M. Jiddah (N/13003)
Born on July 9, 1985, Major Jiddah hails from Katsina State.
He is an Infantry officer and member of the 56 Regular Course (2004–2008).
9. Major M.A. Usman (N/15404)
Major Usman, from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
10. Major D. Yusuf (N/14753)
Born on May 26, 1988, Major Yusuf hails from Gombe State.
He serves in the Ordnance Corps.
11. Major I. Dauda (N/13625)
From Jigawa State, Major Dauda joined the Army through the Direct Short Service Commission (Course 38).
12. Captain Ibrahim Bello (N/16266)
Born on July 28, 1987, Captain Bello is a member of the Direct Short Service Commission Course 43.
13. Captain A.A. Yusuf (N/16724)
Captain Yusuf is a Nigerian Army officer with limited public records available.
14. Lieutenant S.S. Felix (N/18105)
Lt. Felix is among the junior officers in detention. Details about his role remain unclear.
15. Lieutenant Commander D.B. Abdullahi (NN/3289)
Lt. Commander Abdullahi serves in the Nigerian Navy and is one of two non-Army officers detained in connection with the alleged coup plot.
16. Squadron Leader S.B. Adamu (NAF/3481)
Squadron Leader Adamu serves in the Nigerian Air Force. His alleged involvement remains under investigation
Sources in the Defence Headquarters confirmed that the officers, drawn from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, were picked up in coordinated operations by military intelligence after weeks of secret surveillance.
Meanwhile, military operatives had raided the Abuja residence of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, in connection with the alleged coup plot currently under investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Multiple security sources confirmed that the raid occurred at Sylva’s home in the Maitama area of Abuja.
According to insiders, a “special military team” carried out the operation after intelligence linked a “former South-South governor” to secret meetings allegedly held with some of the detained military officers.
Sylva in a release had confirmed the military raid on his Abuja residence, while distancing himself from the alleged coup.
