Families Say DIA Personnel Hacked Phones, Emptied Bank Accounts Of Military Officers Held Over Alleged Coup Plot Against Tinubu

Evidence obtained by SaharaReporters has raised fresh concerns over the unauthorised access to the bank accounts and mobile devices of some Nigerians arrested over an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu, with family members accusing personnel of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) of hacking into the detainees’ phones, stealing money from their bank accounts, purchasing airtime and even obtaining loans in their names.

The revelation comes amid growing complaints by relatives that they have been unable to account for millions of naira that disappeared from the detainees’ bank accounts while they remained in military custody.

Credible family sources of the suspected coup plotters told SaharaReporters that the detainees' mobile phones were forcibly accessed after their arrest, allowing those in possession of the devices unrestricted access to their banking applications and other sensitive personal information.

According to the sources, suspicious transactions began shortly after the arrests and continued for several weeks.

The family members also alleged that whenever they attempted to use some of the detainees’ debit cards, they repeatedly received notifications indicating that there was no money left in the accounts.

“They forcefully accessed their phones. After that, they started using their bank accounts,” one of the family sources told SaharaReporters.

“Anytime we tried to use our father’s debit card, it always showed that there was no money in the account.”

Documents and email notifications obtained by SaharaReporters appear to show repeated successful logins into one of the affected victims’ Zenith Bank mobile banking account on July 14, 2026.

One of the email notifications reads: “There was a successful login to your Zenith Mobile Account.

“Please see below login details: Tuesday, July 14, 2026, 3:42:02 PM.

“If you did not login to your Zenith Mobile account, kindly contact ZenithDirect (our 24/7 Customer Interactive Centre)…”

The same account also recorded additional successful login notifications at 1:33:49 PM and 11:06:52 AM on the same day.

The repeated login alerts have raised questions because family members insist the account owner was in detention at the time and had no access to his mobile phone.

Financial records reviewed by SaharaReporters also show what relatives described as a systematic depletion of funds from one of the affected accounts.

According to the documents, the account contained about N5.2 million as of April 23, 2026.

Over the following weeks, withdrawals allegedly continued until only N5,000 remained, the minimum balance reportedly allowed on the account.

Another financial record obtained by SaharaReporters also shows a loan disbursement of N197,000 dated June 11, 2026, alongside an upfront charge of N23,000.

Family members insist the account holder neither applied for nor authorised the loan.

“Document shows a loan disbursement on June 11 amounting to N197,000 with an upfront fee of N23,000,” one of the relatives said while reviewing the banking records.

SaharaReporters also obtained evidence relating to another account holder who reportedly received an email notification confirming a successful login into the person’s bank account.

However, relatives said they have been unable to determine the amount allegedly withdrawn because they no longer have access to the bank card or other means of checking the account balance.

“And this is from a different account holder. She noticed an email message showing a successful login into his account but cannot ascertain how much was withdrawn because she has neither his card nor any way to check,” a source explained.

According to the sources, the alleged unauthorised activities did not stop after the available balances had been exhausted.

“So after removing all the money, they started taking loans,” one of the sources said, revealing that loans were subsequently obtained after the available funds had been depleted.

An earlier SaharaReporters report revealed that a senior security source familiar with the matter said the officer's condition had forced the suspension of the scheduled court proceedings.

The ongoing General Court Martial trying 36 Nigerian military personnel over an alleged plot to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu was reportedly stalled after one of the defendants, Captain M.L. Muhammad, suffered convulsions and collapsed while in detention.

Multiple security sources familiar with the proceedings alleged that Captain Muhammad had been held in an illegal and dehumanising detention facility operated by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), which they described as a "30-foot-deep underground" cell.

They claimed the incident occurred while he was being held there.

According to the sources, Captain Muhammad reportedly collapsed after suffering severe medical complications while being held in a 30-foot underground confined detention facility.

The sources said that the officer experienced convulsions, repeated vomiting, seizures, and difficulty breathing, which they claimed resulted from prolonged exposure to radiation inside the detention facility.

A senior security source familiar with the matter told SaharaReporters that the officer's condition forced the court proceedings scheduled for Wednesday, July 15 to be suspended.