Court Remands 6 Treason Suspects, Sets April 27 Trial

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has ordered all the six persons accused of plotting to overthrow the President Bill Tinubu, be remanded at the detention facility of the Department of State Services, DSS.

The court made the order, Wednesday, after a request by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice AGF, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who appeared for the federal government in the trial.

All the six accused persons pleaded not guilty to the 13- count treason charge brought against them by the federal government.

Shortly after their plea was taken, the AGF applied for accelerated trial of the defendants which was granted by the court.

Attempt by some of the lawyers to move oral applications for bail of their clients was rejected by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik who ordered them to file formal applications.

Justice Abdulmalik fixed April 27 for commencement of trial of the accused persons.

She also ordered that their lawyers be allowed to access them for effective preparation of their defense in the charges against them.

Sunusi Musa, SAN, who stood for the renowned Islamic Cleric, Sheik Abdukadir Sani Zaria thanked the AGF for the request to remand the accused persons at the DSS custody.

He said that the DSS had been very civil and respects the rights of his client since he was moved from the detention facility of the Defense Intelligence Agency DIA where he claimed no one was allowed to access detainees.

One of the defendants, retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, was brought to the court on wheel chair on accounts of his ill health and old age.

Those put on trial in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026 are retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Navy Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.

In the 13-count charge, they were accused of plotting to levy war against the federal Republic of Nigeria to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The alleged offence is said to be contrary and punishable under section 37 (2) of the Criminal Code.

The charge was filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.

The federal government accused the defendants of treason, terrorism financing and failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.

The defendants allegedly “conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overthrow the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence punishable under Section 37 subsection 2 of the Criminal Code.

The prosecution further alleged that the defendants had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to alert authorities.

Apart from treason, the federal government is prosecuting the defendants for terrorism-related offences under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.