ABUJA — The Federal Government will on Wednesday arraign a group of suspected coup plotters before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a 13-count charge bordering on treason, terrorism, and related offences.
The prosecution, instituted through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, is to be heard before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, was filed on April 20 by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.
Those listed as defendants include retired Major-General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Captain (Nigerian Navy) Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Gonyi, and Abdulkadir Sani.
A former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, is also named in the charge but is currently at large.
According to the charge, the defendants are accused of conspiring in 2025 to undermine the Nigerian state and allegedly plotting to levy war against the country in a bid to overawe the President.
The alleged offence is punishable under Section 37(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 disclose such intelligence to the appropriate authorities.
The charge states that the accused, “knowing that and intended to commit treason, did not give the information thereof with all reasonable despatch to either the President or a Peace Officer.”
It also accuses them of failing to take reasonable steps to prevent the commission of the alleged offence.
In addition to treason-related counts, the Federal Government is prosecuting the defendants under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, alleging that they conspired to commit acts of terrorism within Nigeria.
Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru are specifically accused of participating in meetings linked to terrorist activities, allegedly in furtherance of a political ideology capable of destabilising the constitutional structure of the country.
The charge also alleges that the defendants provided material support for terrorism and deliberately suppressed intelligence that could have prevented such acts.
Financial transactions linked to terrorism financing also form part of the charges. Bukar Goni is accused of retaining N50 million believed to be proceeds of unlawful activity, while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly held N2 million from similar sources.
Zekeri Umoru is accused of accepting N10 million in cash outside the formal financial system and retaining an additional N8.8 million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing. Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim is also alleged to have taken possession of N1 million connected to the scheme.
All financial-related offences were filed under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The Federal Government described the case as involving a coordinated network of security personnel, civilians, and a politically exposed individual allegedly linked to activities threatening national security.