A Nigerian Army colonel, Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji, has taken legal action against the Federal Government at the Federal High Court in Abuja over his continued detention since September 2025.
In the suit, filed under the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules, Ma’aji is asking the court to order his release and award ₦500 million in damages, arguing that his detention violates his constitutional rights.
The case names the Attorney General of the Federation, the Chief of Army Staff, the Nigerian Army, and the Chief of Defence Intelligence as respondents. It questions why he has remained in custody for months without being formally charged or brought before a court.
According to his lawyer, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), keeping the officer in detention for over six months without trial breaches his rights to personal liberty and human dignity.
Court filings indicate that Ma’aji was arrested around September 30, 2025, alongside others over allegations of plotting to overthrow the government. He has since been held in a military facility in Abuja.
The officer also claims he has been denied access to his family and legal representatives, as well as proper medical care during his detention.
He argues that despite claims that investigations have been concluded, authorities have failed to arraign him within the timeframe required by law, citing provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Ma’aji is asking the court to declare his detention unlawful and secure his immediate release. Alternatively, he wants the authorities compelled to present him in court within seven days.
An affidavit supporting the suit states that he has been held incommunicado since his arrest and has not been formally charged.
The court is yet to set a date for the hearing.
