BREAKING: Nigerian Police Inspector Detained By DIA For Alleged Coup Plot Against Tinubu

The policeman identified as Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim is from Taraba State.

A personnel of the Nigeria Police Force has been named among those arrested and detained by the military authorities for allegedly plotting a coup to terminate Nigeria’s democracy, SaharaReporters has gathered.

The policeman identified as Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim is from Taraba State.

SaharaReporters learnt that Ibrahim was arrested in Abuja by operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency and currently in the agency’s custody.

While the newspaper could not confirm when the policeman was picked up, the source said information extracted from some of the detained military officers led to his arrest.

“Yes, among those in DIA’s custody is a policeman. The military officers under detention are 35 (Army, Navy, Airforce) and one policeman identified as Ahmed Ibrahim. Total of 36 security operatives. He was arrested after investigation showed he was involved in the failed attempt,” a military source told SaharaReporters.

Calls put across to Police Force spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin were not picked nor returned. WhatsApp message sent to his line was yet to be replied as at the time of this report.

In October 2025, SaharaReporters exclusively reported the arrest of several military officers by the DIA in Abuja over an alleged plot to overthrow President Tinubu’s government.

The case is being handled by the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Lieutenant General Emmanuel Parker Undiandeye, who heads the military department.

The DIA, established in 1986, is Nigeria’s primary military intelligence body. It is responsible for gathering and providing intelligence to the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence to counter security threats, safeguard national integrity, and support military operations, including ongoing efforts against terrorism and insurgency.

In October 2025, top military sources disclosed the names and departments of 16 senior military officers who were at the time being detained by the DIA over the alleged plot.

SaharaReporters had earlier exclusively reported that a Nigerian Navy officer, Lieutenant Commander B. Abdullahi, was among the senior officers detained in connection with the case.

Sources at the Defence Headquarters confirmed that the officers, drawn from the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, were arrested in coordinated operations by military intelligence operatives following weeks of covert surveillance.

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters had reported on January 23, 2026, that at least five of the detained officers fell ill while in custody, with two reportedly collapsing due to worsening conditions.

Sources disclosed that the officers were allegedly transferred from an initial DIA detention facility to an underground military cell in Abuja described as dark and poorly ventilated.

Families of the detained officers have repeatedly raised concerns over what they described as inhumane treatment, prolonged incommunicado detention, and denial of access to lawyers and relatives.

Some spouses told SaharaReporters that they were not informed of transfers between detention facilities and had been barred from visits since the arrests.

The case has also drawn political attention following reports that military operatives raided the Maitama, Abuja residence of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, in connection with the investigation.

Sylva later confirmed the visit but denied any involvement, describing attempts to link him to the matter as politically motivated.

Despite earlier official denials of any coup plot, a statement by the Nigerian Defence Headquarters on Monday 26th of January formally acknowledged that allegations of plotting to overthrow the government were among the findings against some of the detained officers.