Families of military personnel standing trial over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu have accused the Federal Government of preventing lawyers and relatives from visiting the detainees for nearly three weeks.
The relatives and a defence lawyer who spoke with SaharaReporters alleged that repeated requests to see the detained officers had been rejected, raising fresh concerns about their welfare and ability to prepare for the ongoing court-martial proceedings.
The allegations come amid earlier claims of prolonged isolation, deteriorating health conditions and unauthorised access to some of the detainees’ mobile phones and bank accounts.
A lawyer representing one of the detained officers said on Thursday that he had been unable to hold a private consultation with his client for almost three weeks.
He argued that the restriction was making it difficult to obtain instructions, review the allegations and prepare an adequate defence.
“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 maintained that preventing an accused person from consulting counsel could undermine 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 added.
Relatives also claimed that wives, parents and other close family members had been repeatedly prevented from seeing the detainees.
“For almost three weeks now, none of us has been allowed to see them,” one family member said.
“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 restrictions had caused distress among the families, particularly because they could not confirm whether the detained officers were receiving adequate medical care.
“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.
The latest claims follow allegations that personnel of the Defence Intelligence Agency unlawfully accessed some detainees’ phones and banking applications after their arrest.
Relatives alleged that suspicious account logins were recorded while the officers were in custody, with funds reportedly withdrawn and loans obtained without authorisation.
SaharaReporters had also reported that proceedings before the General Court Martial trying 36 military personnel were disrupted after one of the defendants, Captain M.L. Muhammad, reportedly collapsed in detention.
