‘Coup plot’: Court admits defendants’ confessional statements, rejects torture claims

A federal excessive courtroom in Abuja has admitted the statements
and video recordings of six individuals accused of plotting to overthrow President
Bola Tinubu’s authorities.

 

In a ruling delivered on Thursday, Joyce Abdulmalik, the
presiding choose, dismissed the defendants’ claims that the statements and
recordings had been obtained by way of torture, inducement and different types of
coercion.

The choose held that there was no proof that the
defendants made the statements or participated within the video recordings underneath
duress.

She described their allegations of coercion as an
afterthought, including that she discovered them unbelievable.

The ruling adopted a trial-within-trial ordered by the
courtroom on May 11, 2026, after defence legal professionals challenged the admissibility of
the statements and video recordings tendered by the prosecution.

The legal professionals had argued that the defendants didn’t make the
statements voluntarily.

Before the courtroom ordered the trial-within-trial to find out
whether or not the statements and recordings had been obtained voluntarily, the
prosecution had referred to as 4 witnesses.

The fourth prosecution witness, a military officer recognized
by the codename AAA, had earlier tendered video recordings of the defendants’
interrogations.

The six defendants are Mohammed Gana, a retired main
common; Erasmus Victor, retired navy captain; Ahmed Ibrahim; Zekeri Umoru,
Bukar Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.

The federal authorities, by way of the workplace of the
attorney-general of the federation, arraigned them on April 22, 2026, on a
13-count cost bordering on treason, terrorism, failure to reveal safety
intelligence and cash laundering linked to terrorism financing.

After admitting the statements and video recordings as
displays, the courtroom adjourned the case till December 7 and 10 for continuation
of the trial.

THE ALLEGED COUP PLOT

On September 29, 2025, the federal authorities introduced the
cancellation of a parade earlier scheduled to mark the nation’s sixty fifth
independence anniversary on October 1.

Days later, there stories emerged linking the cancellation
to an alleged coup try.

However, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) dismissed the
stories, insisting that the choice had nothing to do with alleged coup plot.

On October 31, 2025, TheCable reported that 16 army
officers had been arrested within the first week of the month over the alleged coup
try, whereas two others had been on the run.

In January 2026, the DHQ confirmed that there was a plot to
overthrow Tinubu.

Samaila Uba, the DHQ director of defence data, stated
investigations performed consistent with established army procedures discovered
that some personnel had been concerned in a coup plot.

He stated the officers can be arraigned earlier than related
army judicial panels.

In March, relations of army officers detained over
the alleged coup plot appealed to Tinubu to permit the suspects to be tried in
an open courtroom.

At a press convention in Abuja, wives and different relations of
the detained officers additionally requested entry to the alleged masterminds of the
coup try.

In April, relations of the detained army officers
protested on the entrance of the nationwide meeting, demanding a speedy trial
and entry to their relations.

In the cost sheet, the federal authorities accused the
defendants of treason and terrorism and failure to reveal safety
intelligence and cash laundering linked to terrorism financing.

The federal authorities alleged that the defendants conspired
with each other to “levy conflict in opposition to the state to overawe the President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

Bukar Kashim Goni was alleged to have “not directly retained
the mixture sum of N50,000,000 which kinds a part of the proceeds of an
illegal act to wit: terrorism financing”, whereas Abdulkadir Sani allegedly
retained N2 million from an identical supply.

Umoru was alleged to have “with out going by way of a monetary
establishment accepted a money cost of the sum of N10,000,000″, and in addition
retained an extra N8.8 million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism
financing.

Ibrahim, the police inspector, was additionally accused of taking
possession of N1 million linked to the identical alleged scheme.

Ibrahim and Umoru had been accused of taking part in conferences
tied to terrorist actions.

Click to signup for FREE information updates, newest data and hottest gists on a regular basis

Advertise on NOP NIGERIA to achieve 1000’s of our day by day customers