Alleged Coup Plot: Retired Major General, Five Others Plead Not Guilty as Court Martial Resumes

By Emmanuel Kwada

The high-profile trial of six suspects accused of plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government continued today at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with proceedings focusing on bail applications after all defendants pleaded not guilty earlier this week.

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 (an Islamic cleric from Zaria, Kaduna State) were arraigned on Wednesday, April 22, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on a 13-count charge bordering on treason, terrorism, and terrorism financing.

Alleged Coup Plotters To Appear In Court.

All six defendants pleaded not guilty to every count when the charges were read. Major General Gana appeared in a wheelchair due to ill health.

The arraignment was briefly stood down to allow the court to arrange an interpreter for the sixth defendant, who primarily communicates in Hausa and Arabic.

The suspects conspired in 2025 to levy war against the state.

The Federal Government, led by Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) and Director of Public Prosecutions Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), alleges that the suspects conspired in 2025 to “levy war against the state” with the aim of removing President Tinubu from office.

A seventh suspect, former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva, is accused of helping to conceal the plot and remains at large.

Former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva

Following the not-guilty pleas, Justice Abdulmalik ordered an accelerated trial and remanded the suspects in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). The court adjourned to April 27, 2026, for the hearing of bail applications.

Separately, the Defence Headquarters has convened a General Court Martial (GCM) for at least 36 serving military officers allegedly implicated in the same coup plot.

The military trial panel is set to begin sitting, with some reports indicating proceedings could resume or commence as early as today. The serving officers, including several lieutenant colonels and other ranks, will face military justice separately from the civilian/retired personnel being tried at the Federal High Court.

The dual-track approach — civilian trial at the Federal High Court and military court martial for serving personnel — underscores the gravity of the alleged plot, which security sources link to events in late 2025.

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