Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, May 11, 2026, watched a video recording in which the sixth defendant in the ongoing coup plot trial, Sheikh Sani Abdulkadir, told military investigators that he had warned the alleged plotters their plan would fail and that they would eventually be exposed. The Zaria‑based Islamic cleric, who is standing trial alongside five others on a 13‑count charge bordering on treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence, and money laundering, made the statement during interrogation by military investigators. The video was played by the prosecution during the continuation of trial proceedings while the fourth prosecution witness (PW4), an army officer whose identity has been shielded for security reasons, was still in the witness box.
In the recording, Abdulkadir said he had known the alleged ringleader, a serving army colonel identified as Colonel Mohammed Ma’aji, for less than a year. He told investigators that he was approached through an intermediary named Sanda, who informed him that his “oga” intended to stage a coup and needed spiritual prayers and divination regarding its success. According to the cleric, after conducting prayers, he advised those involved that the operation would fail and that two persons within the group would eventually betray the plot. He said a subsequent request was relayed back to him seeking further prayers to prevent the two individuals from exposing the conspiracy.
Abdulkadir further stated that money was later transferred to him for prayers and charity, and that names of persons allegedly involved in the operation were forwarded to him for inclusion in his prayers. He told investigators that shortly after the prayers commenced, Sanda informed him that Colonel Ma’aji had not been seen for four days, and that he later learned through media reports that arrests had been made in connection with an alleged coup plot. The cleric insisted that the funds he received were strictly for prayers and not in support of any coup arrangement. He admitted that he understood a coup to mean the military overthrow of a government, but said he did not report the plot because he did not know who to report to. He also said he was first arrested after visiting the EFCC over restrictions placed on his bank account.
Following the playback, the prosecution sought to tender extra‑judicial statements allegedly made by all six defendants before a Special Investigation Panel and military police authorities, as well as the accompanying video recordings. However, counsel to all six defendants separately objected to the admissibility of the statements. Lawyers for the defendants argued that the statements were either not made voluntarily or were obtained in violation of provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA). The first defendant’s lawyer contended that the written statement sought to be tendered did not correspond with what was shown in the video evidence regarding voluntariness. The second defendant’s lawyer argued that his client was neither informed of his right to legal representation nor provided access to counsel before the statement was recorded, adding that the video shown in court was not a recording of the making of the written statement. The third defendant equally challenged the admissibility, saying the contents of the video differed from the written extra‑judicial statement. Counsel to the fourth defendant argued that the video and statement contravened Sections 15 and 17 of the ACJA, which provide for the presence of legal representation during statement‑taking.
The fifth defendant’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, urged the court to conduct separate trial‑within‑trial proceedings for each defendant rather than a single joint hearing. In response, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, who is also the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, said the prosecution was “not afraid of a trial‑within‑trial” but urged the court to conduct a joint proceeding instead of separate ones. After listening to both sides, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered a joint trial‑within‑trial to determine the voluntariness of the statements and video recordings. She adjourned proceedings to Tuesday, May 12, 2026, for the commencement of the trial‑within‑trial.
The six defendants in the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, are retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, serving Police Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Presidential Villa electrician Zekeri Umoru, Islamic cleric Bukar Kashim Goni, and Sheikh Abdulkadir Sani. They were arraigned on April 22, 2026, and all pleaded not guilty to the 13‑count charge filed by the Office of the Attorney‑General of the Federation. A seventh suspect, former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva, has been named in the charge sheet as a financier of the alleged plot and remains at large. The defendants are accused of conspiring in September 2025 to levy war against the state in order to overawe President Bola Tinubu, an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
Earlier in the trial, the court had admitted video recordings in which two of the defendants, Erasmus Ochegobia Victor and Ahmed Ibrahim, admitted they were aware of the plot but did not report it, while the first defendant, Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (retd), denied any knowledge. In a video recording played on May 5, Inspector Ibrahim attached to the State House admitted receiving between N1.4 million and N1.5 million and participating in reconnaissance around the Presidential Villa, including Aguda House. He confirmed that coded terms such as “fertiliser” and “farming” were used as code for funding and the operation. Retired Navy Captain Victor admitted he was approached to provide financial support, help raise funds, and assist in securing accommodation for the plotters, with a promise of an appointment if the plan succeeded. He declined involvement but maintained communication through a secure platform using coded language.
Another defendant, Zekeri Umoru, a maintenance worker at the Presidential Villa employed by Julius Berger Nigeria, said in a separate video recording that he was “misled” by Inspector Ibrahim into believing he was dealing with a businessman (Colonel Ma’aji) and not a military officer linked to any plot. He admitted receiving several cash payments, including a “Ghana Must Go” bag containing ₦8.8 million. Bukar Kashim Goni, the fifth defendant, who is also an Islamic cleric, insisted that over N10 million transferred to his bank account was for prayers and charitable purposes, and denied any knowledge of an illegal plot.
A fourth prosecution witness, an army officer from the Corps of Military Police who testified earlier under protective measures, told the court that intelligence reports pointed to Colonel Ma’aji as the alleged coordinator of the plot. The witness said a jotter recovered from Ma’aji contained operational plans, names and designations of ranking members of the current regime, as well as officers that were to be assassinated. Forensic analysis of Ma’aji’s phone also revealed financial trails linking him to some of the defendants and to former Governor Timipre Sylva, with Purple Waves Limited identified as a possible conduit for funds. The witness stated that multiple transactions amounting to hundreds of millions of naira were traced between September and October 2025.
The trial continues before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who has directed that the joint trial‑within‑trial to determine the voluntariness of the defendants’ statements begin on May 12.
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