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The Nigerian military has opened a general court-martial for 36 of its personnel facing accusations of conspiring to remove President Bola Tinubu from office through a coup.
The Defence Headquarters set up the military tribunal, which was opened on Friday at the Scorpion Mess in Asokoro, Abuja. Security was tight around the venue, and the proceedings were held out of public view.
Proceedings were closed to the media, and journalists invited to cover the session were denied entry. Security personnel also prevented mobile phones from being used to record the arrival of the accused, who were brought to the venue in an army bus around 8:53 am (0753 GMT).
At the same time, the government is also pursuing a separate case against other suspects connected to the same alleged plot at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
On April 22, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, brought charges against several individuals before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
That group includes retired military officers, a police inspector and some civilians. They have all pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of treason, terrorism and money laundering.
According to prosecutors, the suspects allegedly planned to topple the government in 2025 and also failed to report the conspiracy to the authorities. The court has sent them to DSS custody and set April 27 for a fast-tracked hearing.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana called on the Attorney-General to discontinue the military trial and consolidate all cases before the Federal High Court.
Falana argued that under the constitution, the Federal High Court has exclusive jurisdiction over treason and terrorism offences.
“Courts-martial lack the jurisdiction to handle such grave constitutional offences,” he said.
The military has said the alleged coup attempt was uncovered through internal intelligence.
