The wife and children of Nigerian Army Corporal Momoh Audu have testified in a court martial about their 21-day detention over an alleged coup plot against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Fatima Sadi Audu and her son, Suleiman, gave their accounts while testifying in the ongoing trial connected to the alleged coup plot. According to Fatima, security operatives stormed their home in October 2025, searching for her husband.
Fatima stated that she was at home with her children when security operatives arrived late at night and knocked heavily on the door. She said they asked what was happening, but the operatives said they were looking for her husband, Corporal Momoh. The operatives initially refused to believe that Momoh was not in the house and accused her of hiding him in a room. Fatima said the operatives subsequently went outside, made a phone call, and then ordered her to bring out her children.
The family was taken to the military police guard room, where they were introduced to the MP commander. Fatima said the commander informed her that she and her children would be kept in separate rooms. She asked what offence she and her children had committed but was told that the commander did not know and that the authorities were searching for her husband. The family remained at the facility until about 3 am, and when daybreak came, Fatima asked the Provost Commander why they wanted to arrest her husband.
Fatima explained that she and her children subsequently spent four days in custody without food or water. She said their neighbors became concerned after noticing that the family's home had been locked and that they had been taken away. The neighbors eventually began bringing food to them after learning of their detention. Fatima stated that after about one week, the authorities told the family that the money meant for their feeding had been exhausted.
Suleiman, the son of Corporal Momoh Audu, also testified in court about the alleged detention and torture. He stated that the incident occurred around October 2025 at about 11 pm while the family was at home. Suleiman said the people outside hit the door, prompting his mother to answer, and then they asked his mother about her husband. He said the men entered the house, searched for his father, but did not find him.
Suleiman said five members of the family were at home at the time: his mother, himself, Abdullahi, Amina, and Mohammed. They were asked to come outside and lock the door, and then they were taken away in a car. Suleiman said his mother asked what had happened, but the officers told her that they were looking for her husband. He said the family was initially taken to 313 Barracks, where they were told to sit before subsequently being moved.
The testimonies of Fatima and Suleiman are part of the ongoing trial connected to the alleged coup plot against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The court martial is yet to deliver a verdict in the case. The family spent 21 days in custody, with Fatima stating that their neighbors continuously brought food to them during their detention.
Key points
- The wife and children of Corporal Momoh Audu spent 21 days in military custody over an alleged coup plot against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
- The family was detained without food or water for four days, and their neighbors brought food to them during their detention.
- The court martial is yet to deliver a verdict in the case.
