The Federal Government has filed a 13-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja against six individuals, including two retired senior military officers and a serving police inspector, over an alleged plot to wage war against Nigeria and commit acts of terrorism.
The defendants—retired Major General Mohammed Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani—are scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, April 22, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
Also listed in the charge, but said to be at large, is former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.
The charge was filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo. It includes allegations of treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence, and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly 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.
The Federal Government further alleged that the accused had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to notify authorities or take steps to prevent it.
The charge states that the defendants “did not give information thereof with all reasonable dispatch to either the President or a peace officer,” and also failed to use reasonable means to stop the alleged offence.
In addition to treason, the defendants are facing terrorism-related charges under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Prosecutors alleged that they conspired to commit acts intended to destabilise Nigeria’s constitutional order and provided support for terrorism.
Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru were specifically accused of attending meetings linked to the alleged plot in furtherance of a political agenda capable of undermining the state.
The prosecution also accused the defendants of deliberately withholding intelligence that could have helped prevent acts of terrorism.
On the financial side, several of the accused are alleged to have handled funds connected to terrorism financing. Bukar Kashim Goni allegedly retained N50 million believed to be proceeds of terrorism financing, while Abdulkadir Sani is accused of retaining N2 million from a similar source.
Zekeri Umoru was alleged to have accepted N10 million in cash outside formal financial channels and retained an additional N8.8 million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing. Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim was also accused of taking possession of N1 million linked to such activities.
The case is expected to test the Federal Government’s resolve to prosecute alleged threats to national security as proceedings commence before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The charges follow months of investigation into an alleged coup plot uncovered in late 2025. Authorities had earlier confirmed the arrest of several military officers linked to the plan, while others were declared at large.
In January 2026, the Defence Headquarters confirmed that a plot to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had been uncovered following internal investigations.
The Director of Defence Information, Samaila Uba, stated that those implicated would face appropriate legal proceedings.
In recent weeks, families of some detained officers have called for transparency in the trial process, demanding open court proceedings and improved access to their relatives.
The trial is expected to attract significant national attention as it unfolds.
FG Files 13-Count Charge Against Alleged Coup Plotters
