I got N9m from coup suspect Col. Ma’aji, says witness
The fourth defendant in the trial of six men accused of complicity in the alleged plot to unlawfully sack the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Zekeri Umoru, yesterday narrated
The fourth defendant in the trial of six men accused of complicity in the alleged plot to unlawfully sack the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Zekeri Umoru, yesterday narrated how his contact with some individuals now accused of being the key figures in the alleged coup plot began in May 2025 through the third defendant- Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim attached to the Presidential Villa Clinic .
Umoru was answering investigators’ question.
It was during the resumption of proceedings before a Federal High Court in Abuja .
The court saw two more audio visual recordings of investigators’ interview with one of the defendants and another individual.
Before the commencement of proceedings , the court observed a minute’s silence in honour of the defence lawyer, U.H Kamra, who was said to have died in a car accident after participating in the hearing conducted on Monday.
The first video played in open court showed Umoru (said to be an employee in the maintenance department at the Presidential Villa, working with Julius Berger Nigeria Plc) being interviewed by plain clothe security personnel.
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The fourth defendant claimed that Ibrahim (the third defendant) introduced him to a man named Hassan Mohammed, who he later found out to be the same as Colonel Mohammed Ma’aji, adding that he got about N9million from Ma’aji.
He said Ibrahim linked him to Ma’aji under the pretext of offering him electrical work in relation to a building under construction.
Umoru said he had initially thought that Ma’aji was a civilian businessman after receiving money transfers bearing his name.
He admitted that on multiple instances he received money from Ma’aji, adding that such money was given to him sometimes in the presence of Ibrahim.
Umoru also described the many times Ma’aji allegedly visited him in his office, along with another of his friends identified as: Usman, who he later found out to be a military personnel.
He told the court that during one of their meetings at a venue called: “Tiger Bar,” Ma’aji gave money ranging between N100,000 and N120,000 to him and his friends after buying drinks and making inquiries about their professions.
Umoru said there was a key development on September 24, 2025, when Ma’aji allegedly handed him a “ghana must go” bag containing huge cash, which he subsequently deposited at a branch of Zenith Bank, where it was counted as N8.8 million.
He added that the following day, he and Ibrahim met Ma’aji again, during which he handed them additional N2million, with instructions that Ibrahim would later brief him on further details.
Umoru said he later became uncomfortable with the frequency with which Ma’aji was giving out money and had to ask Ibrahim for clarification.
He claimed that Ibrahim told him that Ma’aji was dissatisfied with the state of the country and was planning to “sanitize the government,” allegedly with the support of unnamed associates described as “boys.”
Umoru also claimed that Ibrahim suggested that they should involve an ambulance driver to facilitate access into the presidential villa, with expectations of financial gain.
He however told the investigators that he was not aware of any concrete plan to stage a coup, claiming not to have knowingly participated in any coup plot.
Umoru spoke about an incident where he escorted Usman into the Presidential Villa, adding that the security personnel at the gate did not question them after he told them that Usman was his visitor.
He said Usman took pictures in his (Umoru’s) office without his consent, but that he warned him against doing so again..
In all his time with the investigators, as shown in the recorded interview, shown in court on Tuesday, Umoru denied knowledge of any coup plot and claimed that he was misled by Ibrahim.
The Julius Berger worker said he would have avoided Ma’aji if he was aware that he (Ma’aji) is a military officer or had any intention outside business dealings.
Umoru, who later expressed regret, apologizing to his employers and pledged his support for President Tinubu’s administration.
The second video recording seen was the interview session involving an Islamic cleric, identified as Sheikh Imam Kassim Goni, who said he relocated to Karu in Abuja after fleeing insurgency in Maiduguri.
Goni, who denied any involvement in the coup plot, told investigators that he received funds from Colonel Maaji strictly for prayers and charitable purposes, including requests for spiritual intervention following alleged setbacks in promotion.
He maintained that all cash received were tied to religious activities, not political or military objectives.
At a point, the investigators noted what they referred to as discrepancies between his claims and financial records, indicating that funds had been transferred to him as early as March 2023—months before the alleged promotion issues he referenced.
They also referred to records of transactions, running into millions of naira, including a ₦10 million transfered in October 2024.
The investigators suggested that discussions referenced in the videos, including remarks about gaining access and acquiring “work tools,” raised concerns about a broader scheme, though both individuals denied any knowledge of a coup plot.
When the second video ended, Michael Numa (SAN), lawyer to the sixth defendant (Abdulkadir Sani) said he just received the video exhibits relating to his client and that he requires time to study the exhibit.
Subsequently, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned further hearing till May 11, 12 and 13.
The six defendants are: Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (rtd), Captain (NN) Erasmus Ochegobia Victor (rtd), Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani and they are being tried on a 13-count charge.
The defendants are, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026 alleged to have plotted to levy war against the state to overawe the President of the country.
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.
Another set of people, 36 of them, all military officers are undergoing court marshal in respect of the same plot.
