Nigerian Air Force Officer Noel Godday Zuzu is among several military personnel currently detained by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) over allegations of planning a coup to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.
SaharaReporters had previously reported in October 2025 that a group of senior military officers, led by an Army Brigadier General, were under investigation for allegedly plotting the coup.
The matter drew wider attention after security operatives conducted a raid on the Maitama, Abuja residence of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Governor of Bayelsa, Timipre Sylva, as part of the investigation. Sylva, who is reportedly now evading authorities, denied any involvement and described claims linking him to the plot as politically motivated.
Military sources revealed that Zuzu, a Squadron Leader in the Nigerian Air Force (equivalent to a Major in the Army), hails from Bayelsa State and is related to Sylva. Reports suggest he may have joined the Air Force through family connections.
Before his arrest on October 4, 2025, Zuzu was assigned to 053 HQ NAF Camp in Abuja. A graduate of Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, he comes from Agudama in the South-South region.
Zuzu is number 17 on a list of 36 detainees, which also includes a police inspector. The detained personnel comprise an Army Brigadier General, two Colonels, five Lieutenant Colonels, a Wing Commander, eight Majors, a Lieutenant Commander (Navy), two Squadron Leaders, five Captains, a Lieutenant, and ten non-commissioned officers, including a Warrant Officer, five Sergeants, a Corporal, and two Lance Corporals.
While Zuzu is from Bayelsa and one Army Captain is from Osun State, the majority of the other detainees are from northern Nigeria, including the FCT. Several states, such as Nasarawa, Niger, Katsina, Kaduna, Plateau, Kano, Gombe, Bauchi, Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Taraba, Yobe, Kogi, Sokoto, and Adamawa, are represented among the detained officers.
Families of some detainees have raised concerns about alleged inhumane treatment, prolonged incommunicado detention, and lack of access to legal counsel or relatives. Spouses reported being uninformed of transfers between facilities and barred from visitation.
Although earlier official statements denied any coup plot, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has now acknowledged that evidence of a planned attempt to overthrow the government was among the findings against some of the detained officers.
