The military has submitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu the report of its investigation into an alleged coup plot involving 16 detained officers.
Security and presidency sources said the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) completed a months-long probe and handed the file to Mr. Tinubu, who will decide next steps.
“Those who were tasked to investigate the involvement of the officers have concluded their job, and they have submitted the report to the president who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” a military source told journalists.
The informant added: “All I can tell you is that the officers were indicted, and they will be sanctioned accordingly when the president gives his nod.”
Another Presidential Villa source said the military briefed Mr. Tinubu that “it (the attempt to stage a coup) was real.”
“The report clearly showed that there was an attempt by the detained officers to do what the media reported they planned to do,” the source told the paper.
The detained cohort includes a brigadier-general, a colonel, several lieutenant colonels, majors and junior officers.
Brig.-Gen. Musa Abubakar Sadiq has been named as a suspected ringleader in the alleged coup.
The military initially described the arrests as for “indiscipline and breach of service regulations,” saying detained officers’ grievances stemmed from career stagnation and other issues.
“Upon completion of investigation, indicted officers will face the full military disciplinary process,” the Armed Forces said in October.
Rights activists urged humane treatment and due process.
Yusuf Musa Dauda of Concerned Pro-Democratic Activists warned about detainees’ health and said families had been denied access, calling for “fair judgment.”
Investigations and possible sanctions, including court-martial, are pending the president’s decision.
