Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore and the wives of detained Nigerian military officers on Friday, staged a protest in Abuja, demanding that authorities either charge the officers in court over the alleged coup plot against the federal government or release them.
The Nigerian Armed Forces reportedly detained at least 16 senior officers after the alleged coup plot.
The protesters on Friday, carried placards, calling on the administration of President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the matter.
Sowore and another activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, families of those affected, appealed to the President to prevail on the military authorities to ensure due process in the handling of the case.
“We are not asking for a favour; we are asking for justice to be done. Charge our husbands to court if there is evidence, but if there is none, let them go free,” one of the wives said.
“For more than five months, our families have lived with uncertainty, fear, and unanswered questions. Today, we are here for one simple reason: to ask that justice be done openly in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
”These past months have been deeply painful for our families. We have watched helplessly as narratives are presented to the public, subjecting our husbands to trial by media. At the same time, some of us have faced intimidation from the very men in uniform meant to protect Nigerians,” she added.
The families said the prolonged detention has left them struggling with unanswered questions while their husbands and fathers are subjected to what they described as “trial by media.”
”Our husbands and fathers have served this country faithfully on the front lines, risking their lives in defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Today, their families are left with fear, uncertainty, and unanswered questions,” they said.
The wives also raised concerns over what they described as inconsistencies in the allegations against the officers.
They argued that if investigations had indeed been concluded, as earlier suggested by the military authorities, then the next step should be to begin trial proceedings in an open court.
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