Coup: Families of accused officers’ seek leniency
Family members of the 16 detained military officers who were accused of being involved in the plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu are calling on the presidency and other authorities for leniency for their relatives, Weekend Trust has learnt.
The family members, it was gathered, are reaching out to top political and government functionaries at the seat of power to prevail on the president to temper justice with mercy.
It has been reported that no fewer than 16 military officers were said to have been indicted in a report submitted to the president after the coup plot.
The officers, according to retired senior military officers, are awaiting court martial.
The development came after the military high command said that the officers, who have been in detention since October 2025, were found guilty of the offence.
In October last year, there were reports that officers, ranging from the rank of Captain to Brigadier-General, were arrested and detained by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), for attempting to overthrow Tinubu’s government.
In an exclusive interview with Weekend Trust last night, a family member to one of the Majors said they had to explore different options, including political solutions to resolve the issue.
“We know the offence is grave considering the military laws and laws of the land, but these people are our loved ones, we can’t afford to lose them now. In fact, they are breadwinners to their respective families.
“We want to use this medium to appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, to temper justice with mercy.
“He is our father; he is a father of the nation. We beg him to show mercy to them. We are not saying they shouldn’t be punished, but we don’t want their death now,” he said.
Another family member who also spoke anonymously said they were shocked hearing that their sons were detained over a coup plot.
He said, “Initially, we thought they were detained unjustly, but with what we are hearing, all we need now is to appeal to the Nigerian people. Dear president, forgive our sons; dear Nigerians, forgive them.
“If not for anything, the children of some of them are still young. Please forgive us. We believe they must have learnt their lessons.”
On his part, a security expert, Abdullahi Garba, called for fair and open trial of the detained officers by the military echelon.
“There is a need for open and fair trial of these people, so that it would not look like victimisation because most of them hail from one part of the country,” the expert said.
