Earlier, SaharaReporters had exclusively revealed that a police officer and several military personnel were arrested over allegations of plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.

 

Among those now in military detention is Stanley Amandi, a Nollywood filmmaker and actor, who has been accused of being part of an alleged coup plot aimed at ending Nigeria’s democratic rule.

 

Amandi, a film director and former chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), was arrested in September 2025, according to reports by PREMIUM TIMES. Investigators allege that he was recruited by the suspected plotters to serve as a propaganda strategist in a plan that reportedly included attempts to assassinate President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, among others.

 

The actor is well known in the Nollywood industry, having worked as an actor, production manager, and director. His body of work includes directing The Album, directing and producing Tiger King in 2008, producing Cornerstone in 2019, and appearing as an actor in Once Upon a Dream in 2024. His last activity on Instagram was on September 19, 2025, just days before his arrest.

 

SaharaReporters had also reported the arrest of a police officer identified as Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, who hails from Taraba State. Ibrahim was reportedly apprehended in Abuja by operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and remains in their custody.

 

In total, 35 military officers are said to be detained. They include one Army Brigadier General, two Colonels, five Lieutenant Colonels, one Wing Commander of the Air Force, eight Majors, one Lieutenant Commander of the Navy, two Squadron Leaders, five Captains, and one Lieutenant. Additionally, 10 non-commissioned officers are in custody, including a Warrant Officer, five Sergeants, a Corporal, and two Lance Corporals.

 

One of the detained Army Captains, identified as A. Yusuf, is from Osun State, while Squadron Leader Zuzu, a senior Air Force officer, is from Bayelsa State. The remaining detainees are largely from northern states, including the Federal Capital Territory, which accounts for three officers.

 

Two of the officers — a Brigadier General and a Lieutenant Colonel — are from Nasarawa State, while six, including three non-commissioned officers, are from Niger State. Katsina State accounts for three officers, including a Colonel who was reportedly on a course in North Africa at the time. Three Lieutenant Colonels are from Kaduna, Plateau, and Kano States. Two Majors are from Gombe State, with another Major from Bauchi. Others are from Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Taraba, Yobe, Kogi, Sokoto, and Adamawa States.

 

In October 2025, SaharaReporters had earlier detailed how several of these officers were arrested in Abuja following an alleged coup plot uncovered by the Defence Intelligence Agency, Nigeria’s primary military intelligence body established in 1986.

 

Sources at the Defence Headquarters confirmed that the arrests cut across the Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air Force and followed weeks of covert surveillance and coordinated intelligence operations. At the time, however, the Defence Headquarters denied that the arrests were connected to any coup plan.

 

Concerns later emerged over the welfare of the detainees. SaharaReporters reported on January 23, 2026, that at least five officers had fallen seriously ill in custody, with two reportedly collapsing due to deteriorating conditions. Sources alleged that the detainees were moved from an initial DIA facility to an underground detention cell in Abuja that was described as dark, cramped, and poorly ventilated.

 

Family members of the detained officers have repeatedly complained of harsh treatment, prolonged detention without communication, and denial of access to legal representation. Some spouses said they were neither informed of transfers between detention facilities nor allowed to visit their loved ones.

 

The case has also attracted political attention following reports that military operatives searched the Maitama residence of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, as part of the investigation. Sylva later confirmed the visit but denied any involvement, describing attempts to link him to the matter as politically driven.

 

Despite earlier denials, a recent statement from the Defence Headquarters has now formally acknowledged that allegations of plotting to overthrow the government were among the findings against some of the detained officers.