Court admits FG’s evidence against six alleged coup plotters

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri, Abuja

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday admitted in evidence exhibits tendered by the Federal Government against six persons accused of complicity in an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration through a coup d’état.

Among the proof of evidence the court admitted were extrajudicial statements the defendants made before a Special Investigation Panel and military police authorities.

Those on trial over the alleged coup are retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana; retired Naval Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor; a serving Police Inspector, Ahmed Ibrahim; and three others: Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.

They are answering to a 13-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026.

The defendants had challenged the admissibility of their statements on the premise that they were not made voluntarily but through coercion, in violation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

The defence lawyers further contended that their clients were denied the right to legal representation during interrogation, insisting there were discrepancies between the video recordings and the defendants’ written statements.

Although the prosecution urged the court to dismiss the objections, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered a trial within a trial to ascertain the voluntariness of the extrajudicial statements sought to be tendered.

The issue arose while the fourth prosecution witness was testifying.

Delivering the ruling on Thursday, Justice Abdulmalik held that the defendants failed to establish their allegation that they were coerced into making confessional statements.

The court described the defendants’ claim that they spoke under duress as an afterthought, and it dismissed their allegation of torture.

It went ahead to admit both the defendants’ written statements and the video recordings as part of the proof of evidence in the matter.

Justice Abdulmalik fixed December 7 and 10 for the continuation of the hearing on the charge.

It will be recalled that one of the defendants, Umoru, revealed on May 20 that discussions were held on how the electricity supply to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, would be switched off to aid the alleged coup.

Umoru, an employee of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc in the Maintenance Department at the Presidential Villa, made the disclosure in a video recording played in open court.

The defendant said he warned that such an action would immediately trigger investigations and the detention of workers on duty.

He alleged that the coup’s purported mastermind, Col. Mohammed Ma’aji, offered him money, through the third defendant, Insp. Ibrahim, to recruit between 18 and 19 persons working inside the villa.

Umoru said those to be recruited included soldiers, officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) and Julius Berger staff members.

He also told investigators that Ma’aji allegedly said he wanted access to the Presidential Villa and could achieve it “with force”, even if those recruited from inside declined to cooperate.

Likewise, the sixth defendant, an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abdulkadir, said in another video recording before the court that he warned the coup plotters that the plan would fail and that they would eventually be exposed.

Abdulkadir, a Zaria-based Imam, said he was informed about the plot and recruited to pray against the leakage of information about the activities of those behind it.

Timipre Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa State who also served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, was also mentioned in the charge filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

The former governor is said to be at large after fleeing the country before the alleged coup plot was exposed.

The allegations against the defendants include treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence, and money laundering in furtherance of terrorist acts.

The FG alleged that the defendants, sometime in September 2025, conspired to levy war against the state to overawe President Tinubu, an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.

It was further alleged that the defendants had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to alert the appropriate authorities.

The FG alleged that they rendered assistance to Colonel Ma’aji, as shown by their failure to disclose the coup plot to the president or a peace officer.

The defendants were also accused of failing to take preventive steps, having “not used any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence.”

Other allegations centred on terrorism-related offences under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The defendants were said to have conspired to commit an act of terrorism in Nigeria.

However, upon their arraignment before the court on April 22, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge and were remanded in the custody of the DSS pending determination of the case.

The court earlier granted the FG permission to shield the identities of witnesses from the Nigerian Army owing to the sensitive nature of the case.

The FG had also produced three bank officials who tendered financial documents in evidence, including letters obtained from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).