The federal government has arraigned six suspects over allegations of plotting a coup to oust President Bola Tinubu.
The suspects were arraigned on Wednesday on a 13-count charge bordering on alleged terrorism. They all pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Following the arraignment, Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), applied that the defendants be remanded in custody of the Department State Service (DSS). He also asked the court for an accelerated hearing.
An attempt by some of the lawyers to move oral applications for bail of their clients was rejected by Joyce Abdulmalik, the presiding judge, who ordered them to file formal applications.
Muhammed Ndayako, counsel to Muhammed Ibrahim Gana, the first defendant, said he has applied for bail but was only able to serve the prosecution today in court.
He asked for a short adjournment to come back and move the application. Other counsels for the defendants aligned with the position.
Sunusi Musa, a senior advocate who appeared for the sixth defendant, Abdukadir Sani Zaria, an Islamic cleric, thanked the AGF for the request to remand the accused persons at the DSS custody.
He said that the DSS had been “very civil” and respected the rights of his client since he was moved from the facility of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), where he claimed no one was allowed to access detainees.
Abdulmalik fixed April 27 for the commencement of trial.
She also ordered that their lawyers be allowed to access them for effective preparation of their defence.
The defendants in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026 include Gana; Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, a retired navy captain; Ahmed Ibrahim, a serving police inspector; Zekeri Umoru; Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.
Although Timipre Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa, was mentioned in the charge, he is said to be at large.
The defendants are accused of waging a war against Nigeria and committing acts bordering on treason and terrorism.
THE ALLEGED COUP PLOT
On September 29, 2025, the federal government announced the cancellation of a parade earlier scheduled to celebrate the country’s 65th independence anniversary on October 1.
Days later, there were reports that the cancellation of the independence anniversary event was linked to an alleged coup attempt.
However, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) dismissed the reports, insisting that the cancellation had no links to the alleged coup attempt.
On October 31, 2025,This paper reported that 16 military officers were arrested in the first week of the month over the alleged coup attempt, while two other officers were on the run.
In January 2026, the DHQ confirmed that there was a plot to overthrow Tinubu.
Samaila Uba, the DHQ director of defence information, said investigations conducted in line with established military procedures found some personnel involved in a coup plot. He said the officers would be arraigned before relevant military judicial panels.
In March, family members of military officers detained over an alleged coup plot appealed to Tinubu to allow the suspects to be tried in an open court.
During a press conference in Abuja, wives and other family members of the detained officers also requested access to the alleged coup masterminds.
In April, families of the detained military officers protested at the entrance of the national assembly, demanding a speedy trial and access to their relatives.
In the charge sheet, the federal government accused the defendants of treason and terrorism and failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
The federal government alleged that the defendants conspired with one another to “levy war against the state to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
Bukar Kashim Goni was 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.
Umoru was alleged to have “without going through a financial institution accepted a cash payment of the sum of N10,000,000″, and also retained an additional N8.8 million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing.
Ibrahim, the police inspector, was also accused of taking possession of N1 million linked to the same alleged scheme.
Ibrahim and Umoru were accused of participating in meetings tied to terrorist activities.
“That you, MAJOR GENERAL MOHAMMED IBRAHIM GANA -(RTD), CAPTAIN (NN) ERASMUS OCHEGOBIA VICTOR -(RTD), INSPECTOR AHMED IBRAHIM (AP776373), ZEKERI UMORU, BUKAR KASHIM GONI, ABDULKADIR SANI, TIMPRE SYLVA (still at large) and others, sometime in the year 2025, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code Cap C38 LFN 2004,” part of the charge sheet reads.
“That you, MAJOR GENERAL MOHAMMED IBRAHIM GANA -(RTD), CAPTAIN (NN) ERASMUS OCHEGOBIA VICTOR -(RTD), INSPECTOR AHMED IBRAHIM(AP776373), ZEKERI UMORU, BUKAR KASHIM GONI, ABDULKADIR SANI, TIMPRE SYLVA(still at large) and others, sometime in the year 2025, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowing that COLONEL MOHAMMED ALHASSAN MA’AJI (N/10668) and others intended to commit treason, did not give the information thereof with all reasonable despatch to either the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, or a Peace Officer and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 40(b) of the Criminal Code Cap C38 LFN 2004.”
Suspected coup plotter
