Nigerian Army Corporal Alleges Coercion in Coup Plot Case

Corporal Momoh Audu of the Nigerian Army testified on September 8, 2026, in a court martial regarding his detention and alleged coercion to confess to a coup plot against President Bola Tinubu. Audu was arrested on October 10, 2025, in Bida, Niger State, and initially held at a local barracks before being transferred to an undisclosed underground facility.

He described being handcuffed, leg-chained, and blindfolded during his transfer, wearing only a singlet and boxer shorts. After a day at the barracks, he was moved to an underground cell where he was denied basic clothing for about seven days.

His interrogators questioned him about his brother, Colonel Alhassan Maaji, and the alleged coup plot, intensifying their pressure by claiming that Audu's wife and four children had been arrested. After 11 days, he was presented with a typed statement to copy, which he alleged was coerced under duress.