DIA hacking phones, looting bank accounts of alleged coup plotters in military custody – Families cry out

Families of military personnel detained over an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu have accused Defence Intelligence Agency operatives of hacking into detainees’ phones, systematically draining bank accounts — including one reduced from N5.2 million to N5,000 — and obtaining loans in their names without authorisation.

They were in detention. Their phones were gone. But their bank accounts were still very much in use.

Evidence obtained by SaharaReporters has raised alarming questions about the conduct of personnel of the Defence Intelligence Agency toward Nigerians detained over an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu, with family members accusing operatives of hacking detainees’ mobile phones, draining their bank accounts and taking out loans in their names while they remained behind bars.

The financial records tell a disturbing story. One affected account contained approximately N5.2 million as of April 23, 2026. Over the following weeks, systematic withdrawals allegedly continued until only N5,000 remained — the minimum balance permitted on the account. A loan disbursement of N197,000 was subsequently recorded on June 11, 2026, alongside an upfront charge of N23,000. Family members insist the account holder never applied for or authorised the loan.

Banking records obtained by SaharaReporters show multiple successful logins into one detainee’s Zenith Bank mobile account on July 14, 2026 — at 11:06:52 AM, 1:33:49 PM and 3:42:02 PM — on a day family members say the account owner was in custody with no access to his phone.

“They forcefully accessed their phones. After that, they started using their bank accounts,” one family source said. “Anytime we tried to use our father’s debit card, it always showed that there was no money in the account.”

Another affected family said they could not determine the amount withdrawn from a second account because they no longer had access to the bank card.

“So after removing all the money, they started taking loans,” a source added.

The allegations compound an already grave picture of conditions inside DIA detention facilities. SaharaReporters had earlier reported that one defendant, Captain M.L. Muhammad, suffered convulsions and collapsed while allegedly held in a “30-foot-deep underground” cell operated by the DIA — stalling the ongoing General Court Martial trying 36 military personnel over the alleged coup plot.

The DIA had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of this report.