- Coup: Families Of Detained Military Officers Appeal To Tinubu For Justice
- Wives appeal to Tinubu for access and fair court hearing.
- Lawyers warn prolonged detention violates constitutional rights.
Wives and relatives of military officers detained over an alleged coup plot have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to allow them access to their husbands and ensure they are either released or arraigned before a court of law.
The appeal was made on Friday during a press briefing in Abuja attended by families of the detained officers.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the families, accompanied by human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju and activist Omoyele Sowore, said the officers had remained in detention for more than 160 days without trial or contact with their relatives.
About 20 wives of the detained officers were present at the briefing alongside their children, including a two month old baby.
Among those who attended were Firdaus Usman, Farida Lawal, Hauwa Aliu, Aisha Sadiq, Hassana Salihu, Fatima Muhammad, Zahra Abba, Khadija A. Hayatu, Helen Sunday, Memuna Bashiru, Aisha Ibrahim and a two month old infant, Ahmad Musajida.
Memuna Bashiru, who read a statement on behalf of the families, said the prolonged detention had thrown their households into distress 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.
She added that while allegations against the officers had been widely circulated in the media, their families had not been given any official information about their condition or the progress of the investigation.
“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 said.
The families appealed directly to the President and the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, urging them to intervene and ensure the officers receive fair treatment in line with the Constitution.
“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 statement said.
The families also urged military authorities to grant them access to their husbands so they can confirm their safety.
“We respectfully ask for compassion and transparency. Grant us access to our husbands. Let us see them and know they are safe and alive,” Bashiru added.
Speaking at the briefing, Adeyanju said the continued detention of the officers without access to family members or legal representation violated fundamental rights.
Sowore also called for transparency, insisting that even suspects accused of serious offences such as treason deserve a fair and open trial.
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