Fresh concerns have emerged over the treatment of military personnel standing trial over an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu, as family members and a defence lawyer have accused the Nigerian government of preventing lawyers, wives and other close relatives from accessing the detainees for nearly three weeks.
The development comes amid growing allegations of rights violations surrounding the detention of the suspects, including claims of incommunicado detention, deteriorating health conditions and the alleged unauthorised access to some detainees’ bank accounts and mobile phones.
Family members who spoke to SaharaReporters said they had repeatedly been denied access to their detained relatives despite several attempts to visit them.
According to the sources, the restrictions have also affected the ability of defence lawyers to adequately prepare for the ongoing court-martial proceedings.
Speaking to SaharaReporters on Thursday, a lawyer representing one of the detained military officers lamented that he had been unable to meet privately with his client for nearly three weeks, describing the situation as a major obstacle to providing effective legal representation.
“The continued denial of access to my client is seriously affecting my ability to defend him properly,” the lawyer said.
“As counsel, I need to consult with my client, take instructions, review the allegations with him and prepare our defence. Without access, that responsibility becomes extremely difficult to discharge.”
The lawyer added that the inability to communicate with his client undermines the right to a fair hearing.
“Our legal system recognises the right of every accused person to have adequate time and facilities to prepare a defence. Denying counsel access to a client frustrates that process,” he told SaharaReporters.
Family members also expressed frustration over the continued restrictions.
“For almost three weeks now, none of us has been allowed to see them,” one of the family members told SaharaReporters.
“The wives have been turned back several times. Parents and other close relatives have also not been allowed access. We don’t even know their current condition.”
Another relative said the prolonged denial of access had left families distressed.
“It is painful because we don’t know how they are doing or whether they are receiving proper medical attention. We only hear bits and pieces from outside. Families deserve to know the condition of their loved ones,” the source said.
Another family member maintained that the restrictions had severely affected the work of the defence team.
“The lawyers cannot properly do their work because they have not been allowed to consult their respective clients. They need to hear directly from them before appearing in court,” the source said.
The latest allegations add to a series of claims surrounding the detention of the suspected coup plotters.
As previously reported by SaharaReporters, family members recently accused personnel of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) of allegedly gaining unauthorised access to some detainees’ mobile phones after their arrest and using the devices to access their bank accounts.
According to documents reviewed by SaharaReporters, suspicious login notifications were recorded on one detainee’s mobile banking application while he was already in military custody. Relatives also alleged that millions of naira disappeared from some of the accounts and that loans were allegedly obtained in the detainees’ names without their authorisation.
SaharaReporters had also reported that proceedings before the General Court Martial trying 36 military personnel over the alleged coup plot were disrupted after one of the defendants, Captain M.L. Muhammad, reportedly suffered convulsions and collapsed while in detention.
(SaharaReporters)