Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has watched video recordings in which two of six men standing trial for an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu admitted they had knowledge of the plan. The videos played on Monday, May 4, 2026, showed retired Navy Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor and serving State House Police Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim telling investigators that they were aware of a conspiracy to topple the administration, while a third defendant, retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, denied any such knowledge. The video evidence was contained in a hard drive tendered by the prosecution and admitted by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who overruled objections from defence lawyers that the statements were not made voluntarily.
The video first played showed Major General Gana, who told investigators he retired from the Nigerian Army in 2010 as Chief of Defence Logistics and had since lived a quiet life. He admitted knowing the alleged mastermind of the plot, one Colonel M. A. Ma’aji, but said he was unaware of any plan to remove the government. "If I knew about any coup plan, I would have reported it," he said in the recording. General Gana admitted sharing via WhatsApp a copy of a coup speech read during an earlier military takeover, as well as messages containing anti-government rhetoric, but insisted he only forwarded the material and did not originate it. He denied conducting reconnaissance at the Presidential Villa or participating in any funding arrangement for the alleged plot. His name first came up, he said, in relation to a two million naira transfer that investigators linked to him.
In stark contrast, the video of Captain Victor showed a greater degree of familiarity with the alleged conspiracy. He admitted knowing Colonel Ma’aji and being aware of discussions to overthrow the government, but said he did not report the plot because of his relationship with the alleged mastermind. He told investigators that Ma’aji had complained about his stalled promotion and, "out of anger, he said he wants to overthrow the system." Captain Victor said he advised the officer against such an act and suggested he consider retirement instead. He further admitted that he was approached to provide financial support, assist in raising funds for the plot, or help the plotters acquire an apartment, with an assurance that he would be given an appointment if the plan succeeded. He confirmed that he continued communication with the principal suspect through a secure messaging platform, acknowledging that coded language was used in discussions, but insisted he never provided any actual assistance or participated in operational arrangements.
Captain Victor appeared visibly remorseful in the video. "I feel so bad that I find myself in this situation," he said, appealing for clemency and comparing his situation to being "in the wrong place at the wrong time." He admitted that his failure to report the plot was a grave error, adding that if there had been no personal relationship, he would have reported to the appropriate security agencies.
The third video featured Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, a police officer attached to the State House. He told investigators that he was initially approached to assist in facilitating Colonel Ma’aji's promotion within the system. However, he said discussions later shifted to an alleged plan to overthrow the government. Inspector Ibrahim admitted receiving between 1.4 million and 1.5 million naira and conducting reconnaissance operations around the Presidential Villa, including taking photographs of parts of the villa and discussing possible access routes. He confirmed that coded terms such as "fertiliser" and "farming" were used to refer to funding and the alleged operation. However, he said he did not take the plan seriously. "I played along because I knew it would be impossible for them to access the State House," he said. He added that he never believed the plot could succeed but engaged with the plotters regardless.
Defence lawyers vigorously opposed the playing of the videos. They argued that the statements were not made voluntarily and that the recordings should not be exhibited in open court before being formally admitted in evidence. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik overruled their objections, directing that the recordings be played while noting that it was standard practice. She said the court would conduct a trial-within-trial to determine whether the statements were made voluntarily. The case was adjourned until Tuesday, May 5, at 11 a.m. for continuation of the hearing.
The six defendants are standing trial on a 13-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, bordering on treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence, and money laundering related to terror financing. In the first count, the defendants are alleged to have conspired in 2025 to "levy war against the state to overpower the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria," an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code. All six have pleaded not guilty. The defendants include retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, serving Police Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru (an electrician at the Presidential Villa), Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani (a Zaria-based Islamic cleric).
The alleged plot first surfaced publicly in October 2025, when reports emerged that 16 officers had been arrested. The Defence Headquarters initially denied the existence of a coup plot, describing the arrests as routine disciplinary actions. However, in January 2026, the military made a significant u-turn, submitting a report to President Tinubu confirming that an attempt to overthrow the government had indeed been uncovered. In April, the military inaugurated a General Court Martial to try 36 serving military personnel over the same alleged conspiracy. A former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, has also been mentioned in the charge sheet as an alleged financier but is currently said to be at large.
In earlier testimony, a prosecution witness, an army officer from the Corps of Military Police identified only by code name AAA, told the court how investigators uncovered the plot. The witness said intelligence reports linked Colonel Ma’aji to a conspiracy involving some serving and retired military officers, as well as the former governor. Forensic analysis of Ma’aji’s phone and the recovery of a personal jotter revealed operational plans, names of senior government officials, and lists of officers who were to be assassinated. Financial trails also linked Purple Waves Limited as a conduit for funding the alleged plot.
The video evidence played on Monday marks a critical phase in the trial, placing inside knowledge of the conspiracy directly before the court. The admission by two defendants that they were aware of the plot and failed to report it, combined with the detailed testimony already given by prosecution witnesses, is likely to form a central pillar of the federal government's case. However, with trial-within-trial proceedings still pending to test the voluntariness of the video statements, and the remaining three defendants not featured in the videos, the trial is far from concluded. As the court adjourned until Tuesday morning, the nation's attention remains fixed on the judicial process, watching to see whether justice will hold those who knew of the plot accountable.
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