The Federal Government, on Wednesday, arraigned five of the alleged masterminds of a plot to overthrow the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through a coup d’état.
The defendants were brought before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where they pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Following their plea, the court ordered that they be remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The remand order followed an application by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who personally handled the prosecution in court.
The matter was adjourned to Monday for the commencement of full trial.
Before the adjournment, defence counsel led by Mohammed Ndayako, SAN, urged the court to direct the DSS to allow them access to their clients, stating that such access was necessary to properly prepare their defence since the defendants have remained in detention since arrest.
Among those arraigned in the 13-count treason charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026 is former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, who was arraigned in absentia and is currently said to be at large.
Others listed as defendants include retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, serving Police Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani.
The Federal Government alleged that the defendants are facing charges bordering on treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence, and money laundering linked to alleged terrorist financing.
According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly conspired in September 2025 to levy war against the state with the intention of overawing President Tinubu, an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
They were also accused of having prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to report it to the appropriate authorities.
The government further alleged that the defendants failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the alleged offence, stating that they “did not use any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence”.
Additional allegations border on terrorism under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, including claims that the defendants conspired to commit acts capable of destabilising Nigeria’s constitutional order.
Specifically, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru were accused of participating in meetings linked to terrorist activities, with prosecutors alleging they acted “in a bid to further a political ideology which may seriously destabilise the constitutional structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
They were also accused of providing support for terrorism and facilitating terrorist financing.
The prosecution alleged that Goni “indirectly retained the aggregate sum of N50,000,000, which forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: terrorism financing”, while Sani allegedly retained N2 million from similar sources.
Umoru was also alleged to have received a cash payment of N10,000,000 without using a financial institution and retained an additional N8.8 million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing.
Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim was accused of taking possession of N1 million linked to the alleged scheme.
All financial-related charges were brought under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Some of the counts in the charge read:
“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; Timipre 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.”
“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; Timipre 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 use any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 40(b) of the Criminal Code Cap C38 LFN 2004.”
“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; Timipre 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 commit an act of terrorism in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“That you, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim (AP776373) and Zekeri Umoru, sometime in the year 2025 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, in a bid to further a political ideology which may seriously destabilise the constitutional structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, knowingly participated in meetings connected with an act of terrorism and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Sections 2(3)(d) and 12(a) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“That you, Bukar Kashim Goni, in September 2025, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly retained the aggregate sum of N50,000,000.00 (fifty million naira) only in your First Bank Account Number 3021511166 from A & A Express Link Concept, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: terrorism financing, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.
“That you, Zekeri Umoru, in September 2025, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without going through a financial institution accepted a cash payment of the sum of N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) only from Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 2(1)(a) and 19(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the same Act.
“That you, Zekeri Umoru, in September 2025, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly retained the aggregate sum of N8,800,000.00 (eight million, eight hundred thousand Naira) only in your Zenith Bank Plc account number 2006041878, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: terrorism financing, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.
“That you, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, in September 2025, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, directly took possession of the sum of N1,000,000.00 (one million naira) only from Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji (N/10668), which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: terrorism financing, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.”
