Coup plot suspects to get speedy trial from Monday

• Court orders remand of ex-Gen., five others in DSS custody

Six persons accused of plotting to take over the government were arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a 13-count charge yesterday.

They will get a speedy trial, according to the judge.

They are Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (rtd), Captain (NN) Erasmus Ochegobia Victor (rtd), Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani.

The six pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them.

The seventh suspect, Chief Timipre Sylva, a former governor and one-time minister, is currently at large.

Gana was brought to court in a wheelchair on grounds of ill health and old age.

Following their plea of not guilty, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who led the prosecution’s legal team, sought a date for trial.

He urged the court to remand the defendants into the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Fagbemi also prayed the court to grant an accelerated hearing.

Mohammed Ndayako (SAN), who represented Gana, told the court about a bail application already filed for his client.

Ndayako said the application was served on the prosecution earlier in the morning before the commencement of proceedings and urged the court to grant a short adjournment to enable him to move the application.

In relation to Fagbemi’s request that the defendants should be kept in the custody of the DSS, Ndayako said there should be a caveat that their lawyers should be allowed to see them.

He said he was only able to see his client on Tuesday since he was arrested in October.

Ndayako said access to the defendants by their lawyers was necessary to enable them to prepare for their defence.

Fagbemi assured the lawyers that they would be allowed access to their clients in line with the law, adding: “I can assure you that your right to interact with your clients will not be denied.”

Other defence lawyers - Chibuike Ukah, C. D. Okafor and Mohammed Ibrahim - also complained about having difficulties seeing their clients until yesterday, but said they were reassured by Fagbemi’s disposition.

Sunusi Musa (SAN), who represented Sani (the sixth defendant), said: “On our part, since the sixth defendant was moved from DIA (Defence Intelligence Agency) to DSS, we don’t have a complaint.”

Musa commended the DSS for making it easy to have access to his client.

Fagbemi, while responding to the lawyers’ observations, advised them to ensure that they follow the established protocol at the DSS facility and inform those in charge in good time whenever they plan to see the defendants.

Read Also: Edun, Dangiwa resigned, not sacked — Presidency clarifies

He said: “I am happy that all of you (the defence lawyers) are not opposed to an accelerated hearing so that we have the matter disposed of in good time.”

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered the other defendants who are yet to file bail applications to do so formally.

She granted an accelerated hearing, ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison custody and adjourned till April 27.

The judge also ordered that the defendants should be allowed access to their lawyers to enable them to prepare for their defence.

The six defendants in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026 are alleged to have plotted to levy war against the state to overawe the President of the country.

Sylva was not named as a defendant but was described in some of the counts as “still at large”.

They are accused of offences ranging from treason and terrorism to failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.

The defendants are alleged to have “conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.

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

The charge stated that they, “knowing that and intended to commit treason, did not give the information thereof with all reasonable despatch to either the President or a Peace Officer.”

In another count, the defendants were accused of failing to take preventive steps, as they allegedly “did not use any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence.”

The defendants are also charged with terrorism-related offences under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The charge alleged that they “conspired with one another to commit an act of terrorism in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru are accused of participating in meetings linked to terrorist activities.

The prosecution claims they acted “in a bid to further a political ideology which may seriously destabilise the constitutional structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The charge also accused the defendants of providing support for terrorism, alleging that they “knowingly and indirectly rendered support” to facilitate acts of terror.

The prosecution also alleged a deliberate suppression of intelligence, stating that the defendants “had information which would be of material assistance in preventing the commission of the act of terrorism but failed to disclose the information to the relevant agency as soon as practicable.”

It alleged some financial transactions linked to terrorism financing, with multiple defendants accused of handling proceeds of unlawful activities.

Bukar Kashim Goni is alleged to have “indirectly retained the aggregate sum of N50,000,000, which forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: terrorism financing,” while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly retained N2 million from a similar source.

Zekeri Umoru, according to the charge, “without going through a financial institution, accepted a cash payment of the sum of N10,000,000,” and retained an additional N8.8 million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing.

Inspector Ibrahim was also accused of taking possession of N1 million linked to the same alleged scheme.

All financial-related counts were brought under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.