The Federal Government has formally arraigned six individuals, including two retired senior military officers and a serving police inspector, before a Federal High Court in Abuja for an alleged plot to wage war against the state and overthrow President Bola Tinubu. The defendants—retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani—pleaded not guilty to a 13-count charge. The charges, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General, encompass conspiracy, treason, terrorism financing, and money laundering, with former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, also named in the charge but remains at large.
Following the plea, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered the defendants to be remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). The decision came after a request from the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who also secured an order for an accelerated trial. While defense counsel attempted to move oral bail applications, the judge insisted on formal filings, though she did grant the lawyers access to their clients to prepare for the upcoming legal battle. Notably, Major General Gana (Rtd) appeared in court in a wheelchair, citing advanced age and ill health.
The prosecution alleges that the group conspired in 2025 to “levy war against the state” to overpower the President and failed to disclose intelligence regarding a planned treasonable act involving other accomplices. Specifically, the government claims the defendants possessed knowledge of the plot but did not inform the President or peace officers “with all reasonable despatch.” Additional counts allege that some defendants attended meetings to further a destabilizing political ideology and participated in suspicious financial transactions, including one involving N50 million linked to a private corporate account.
The trial is set to commence on April 27, 2026, as the court moves to address what the prosecution describes as a serious threat to the constitutional structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Defense counsel for Islamic cleric Sheik Abdulkadir Sani Zaria, Sunusi Musa, SAN, remarked on the “civil” treatment his client has received under the DSS compared to previous military detention. The case, which contravenes several sections of the Terrorism and Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Acts of 2022, remains one of the most high-profile security trials in recent months.
