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The Nigerian government has charged alleged coup plotters with 13 counts at the Federal High Court in Abuja for trying to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.
The six suspected plotters include a retired major general, a retired naval captain, a serving police inspector and three others. They were accused of waging a war against Nigeria and committing acts of treason and terrorism.
The alleged coupists are expected to be arraigned on Wednesday, April 22, before Joyce Abdulmalik, a judge at the Federal High Court in Abuja. Charges were filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by Rotimi Oyedepo, Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation.
Recall that in October 2025, the Nigerian government cancelled a parade scheduled to celebrate the country’s 65th independence anniversary on October 1. After a few days, reports emerged that the cancellation of the independence anniversary event was linked to an alleged coup attempt. The DHQ dismissed the reports, stating that the cancellation was unrelated to the alleged coup attempt.
Still in October 2025, 16 military officers were arrested in the first week of the month over the alleged coup attempt, while two other officers were nowhere to be found. Then, in January 2026, the defence headquarters (DHQ) confirmed a plot to overthrow Tinubu.
The DHQ Director of Defence Information, Samaila Uba, said that investigations conducted in alignment with established military procedures found some personnel involved in a coup plot. Uba had added that the officers would be charged before relevant military judicial panels.
Furthermore, in March and April, family members of military officers were detained over an alleged coup plot on the grounds of seeking access to the coup masterminds. Also, families of the detained military officers protested at the entrance of the national assembly to demand a speedy trial and access to their relatives.
The defendants are Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, a retired major general; Timipre Sylva, a former minister of state for petroleum resources; Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, a retired captain; and Ahmed Ibrahim, a police inspector. Others are Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.
According to the charge document, the Nigerian government accused the defendants of treason and terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing. It added that the defendants conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overthrow the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Other details are as follows: Bukar Kashim Goni was alleged to have indirectly retained the aggregate sum of N50,000,000, which forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act and terrorism financing, while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly retained N2 million through a similar source.
Umoru was alleged to have accepted a cash payment of N10,000,000, without going through a financial institution, and retained an additional N8.8 million, suspected to be funds linked to terrorism financing. Ibrahim, the police inspector, was also accused of possessing N1 million linked to the same alleged scheme. The duo was also accused of participating in meetings tied to terrorist activities.
“That you, MAJOR GENERAL MOHAMMED IBRAHIM GANA -(RTD), CAPTAIN (NN) ERASMUS OCHEGOBIA VICTOR -(RTD), INSPECTOR AHMED IBRAHIM (AP776373), ZEKERI UMORU, BUKAR KASHIM GONI, ABDULKADIR SANI, TIMPRE SYLVA (still at large) and others, sometime in the year 2025, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code Cap C38 LFN 2004,” part of the charge sheet reads.
“That you, MAJOR GENERAL MOHAMMED IBRAHIM GANA -(RTD), CAPTAIN (NN) ERASMUS OCHEGOBIA VICTOR -(RTD), INSPECTOR AHMED IBRAHIM(AP776373), ZEKERI UMORU, BUKAR KASHIM GONI, ABDULKADIR SANI, TIMPRE SYLVA(still at large) and others, sometime in the year 2025, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowing that COLONEL MOHAMMED ALHASSAN MA’AJI (N/10668) and others intended to commit treason, did not give the information thereof with all reasonable despatch to either the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, or a Peace Officer and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 40(b) of the Criminal Code Cap C38 LFN 2004.”
