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Federal High Court in Abuja dismisses allegations that statements and video recordings made by six alleged coup plotters during military interrogation were obtained through torture, coercion and inducement.
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Justice Joyce Abdulmalik rules that the prosecution established that the defendants voluntarily made the statements and participated in the recorded interrogations, describing their claims of duress as an afterthought.
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The defendants, including a retired Major General and a retired Navy Captain, face a 13-count charge bordering on treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence and alleged terrorism financing.
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The alleged conspiracy reportedly involved plans to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration ahead of Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary, with investigators alleging plans to seize strategic facilities and target senior government and military officials.
November 06, (THEWILL) – The Federal High Court in Abuja has admitted statements and video recordings made by six alleged coup plotters during military interrogation as evidence against them, dismissing their claims that the materials were obtained through torture, coercion and inducement.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in a ruling delivered on Thursday after a trial-within-trial, held that the Federal Government had established that the defendants voluntarily made the statements and participated in the recorded interrogations.
The judge dismissed the allegations of duress, describing them as an afterthought, and held that the defendants failed to provide evidence to substantiate claims that military personnel tortured or used force to obtain their statements
The ruling clears the way for the prosecution to rely on the disputed statements and video recordings as exhibits in the substantive trial.
THEWILL had reported that the six defendants are retired Major General Mohammed Gana, retired Navy Captain Erasmus Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.
The Federal Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, arraigned them on April 22 on a 13-count charge bordering on treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
Alleged Plot To Overthrow Tinubu
The prosecution stems from a military investigation into an alleged conspiracy to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The alleged plot reportedly came to light in September 2025, ahead of Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary on October 1, following intelligence reports of a purported plan involving serving and retired military officers and civilians to seize power.
The alleged operation was reportedly planned around the Independence Day period, although the Federal Government initially did not publicly establish any connection between the alleged plot and the cancellation of the 2025 Independence Day parade.
In October 2025, reports emerged that 16 military officers had been arrested over suspected involvement in a plot to overthrow the government.
The Defence Headquarters initially dismissed reports linking the arrests to a coup attempt, describing the investigation as an internal disciplinary process involving alleged acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.
However, on January 26, 2026, the military confirmed that investigations had uncovered allegations of a plot to overthrow the government and that officers found to have cases to answer would face appropriate military proceedings.
Army Details Alleged Conspiracy
During the Federal High Court proceedings, an Army investigator identified by the codename AAA gave details of how the investigation allegedly began.
The witness told the court that the then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, received intelligence alleging that Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others were plotting to overthrow the democratically elected government.
According to him, the intelligence was analysed and considered credible, prompting the Army Chief to order a comprehensive investigation.
He said the investigation led to Ma’aji’s arrest, during which investigators recovered a Samsung Galaxy mobile phone and other materials from his residence.
The investigator testified that a jotter recovered from the residence contained operational plans, names and designations of senior government officials, as well as military officers allegedly marked for assassination.
“Inside the jotter, we also found information about political and structural changes that were to be made upon the execution of the coup”, the witness told the court.
He further testified that forensic examination of the recovered phone revealed communications and plans allegedly linking Ma’aji, serving military officers and some of the defendants.
“We also found financial trails between Ma’aji, former Governor Timipre Sylva and some of the defendants here before the court”, he said.
The witness further alleged that investigators uncovered financial transactions involving hundreds of millions of naira between September 19 and October 2, 2025.
He identified Purple Waves Limited as an alleged channel through which funds were transferred to finance the operation, adding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission assisted investigators in examining the transactions.
The Army officer also told the court that investigators traced meetings allegedly connected to the plot to Green Land Apartment and BrookVille Hotel in Abuja.
He said investigators recovered receipts and booking records relating to the meetings, during which participants allegedly discussed plans for regime change, identified government officials and military officers to be targeted, and assigned responsibilities for executing the operation.
The witness further alleged that the suspects discussed appointments to government positions and proposed changes to the country’s political and administrative structure following the purported takeover.
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Military Confirms Coup Investigation
The alleged plot attracted public attention in October 2025 following reports that 16 military officers had been arrested over suspected involvement in a plan to overthrow the Tinubu administration.
The Defence Headquarters initially denied that the arrests were connected to a coup attempt, maintaining that the officers were being investigated over alleged acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.
The military also explained that the cancellation of the Independence Day parade was to enable President Tinubu to attend a strategic bilateral engagement outside the country.
However, in its January 26, 2026 statement, the Defence Headquarters acknowledged that investigations had uncovered allegations of a plot to overthrow the government.
The Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Samaila Uba, said officers found to have cases to answer would face military judicial panels in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and other applicable regulations.
Six Defendants Face 13 Counts
The Federal Government subsequently instituted criminal proceedings against six alleged participants in the conspiracy, arraigning them before the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 22.
The defendants are retired Major General Mohammed Gana, retired Navy Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.
Marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, the defendants all pleaded not guilty to the 13-count charge.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants conspired with others to overthrow President Tinubu’s government and committed offences relating to treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence and terrorism financing.
Former Bayelsa State Governor and former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, was also linked to the alleged conspiracy in the prosecution’s case but was not among the six defendants arraigned.
Defence Challenges Interrogation Evidence
The dispute over the admissibility of the defendants’ statements emerged after the prosecution sought to tender their extra-judicial statements and video recordings of their interrogations.
Defence lawyers objected, arguing that the statements were not made voluntarily and alleging that their clients were subjected to torture, threats and inducement during interrogation.
Following the testimony of four prosecution witnesses, including the Army investigator identified as AAA, who tendered the interrogation recordings, Justice Abdulmalik ordered a trial-within-trial on May 11 to determine whether the materials were voluntarily obtained.
The prosecution presented evidence to establish that the defendants participated in the interrogations and made their statements without being subjected to unlawful pressure.
However, the defence maintained its objection to the materials, insisting that the alleged circumstances surrounding the interrogations rendered them inadmissible.
In her ruling on Thursday, Justice Abdulmalik held that the prosecution had established the voluntariness of the statements and recordings.
She consequently dismissed the defence objections and admitted the materials as exhibits in the substantive trial.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case until December 7 and 10, 2026, for continuation of the substantive trial.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
