Alleged Coup: Trial Stalls As Detained Army Captain Collapses

The ongoing General Court Martial trying 36 Nigerian military personnel over an alleged plot to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu was on Wednesday disrupted after one of the defendants, identified as Capt. M.L. Muhammad, reportedly collapsed while in detention.

Multiple security sources familiar with the proceedings told SaharaReporters that the court could not continue sitting following the medical emergency involving the officer.

The personnel are facing trial over allegations bordering on an alleged coup plot, charges they have yet to be convicted of.

According to the sources, Capt. Muhammad allegedly collapsed on Tuesday night after developing serious health complications while in detention.

The sources claimed the officer suffered convulsions, repeated vomiting, seizures and breathing difficulties before he was removed from the detention facility.

One senior security source alleged that the incident forced the suspension of Wednesday’s court proceedings.

“Yesterday night, he collapsed while in the detention facility,” the source said.

The source added that it was unclear where the officer had been taken for treatment.

“We don’t know now whether he is in the hospital receiving treatment. We don’t know whether he is alive or he is dead,” the source claimed.

The security sources further alleged that the officer had been held in an underground detention facility operated by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and claimed the medical complications resulted from prolonged exposure to radiation from a signal-jamming device installed within the facility.

They alleged that detainees had experienced symptoms including breathing difficulties, persistent headaches, dizziness, seizures, memory loss, hearing impairment and vision problems.

One source claimed the device competed for the limited artificial air supplied within the underground detention area, worsening conditions for those being held there.

Another source alleged that several of the detained officers had developed health complications after spending weeks in the facility.