The Federal Government has instituted a 13-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja against six individuals, including two retired senior military officers and a serving police inspector, over an alleged plan to wage war against Nigeria and carry out acts of terrorism.
The defendants, retired Major General Mohammed Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani are expected to be arraigned on Wednesday, April 22, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
Also named in the charge, but reportedly at large, is a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.
The charges, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), cover allegations ranging from treason and terrorism to failure to disclose intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
According to the prosecution, the defendants conspired in 2025 “to levy war against the state to overpower the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
The government further alleged that the accused had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to notify authorities.
As stated in the charge, the defendants, “knowing that a treasonable act was intended to be committed, did not give information thereof with all reasonable despatch to either the President… or a peace officer.”
They were also accused of failing to take preventive measures, as the charge noted that they “did not use any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence.”
Beyond treason, the defendants face terrorism-related charges under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Prosecutors alleged that they “conspired with one another to commit an act of terrorism in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru were specifically accused of attending meetings connected to the alleged plot, “in a bid to further a political ideology which may seriously destabilise the constitutional structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The charge also alleges that the defendants provided support for terrorism, stating they “knowingly and indirectly rendered support” to facilitate such acts.
In addition, the prosecution accused them of withholding critical intelligence, noting that they “had information which would be of material assistance in preventing the commission of the act of terrorism, but failed to disclose the information to the relevant agency as soon as practicable.”
On the financial side, several of the accused were linked to funds suspected to be tied to terrorism financing, in breach of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Bukar Kashim Goni allegedly “indirectly retained the aggregate sum of N50,000,000, which forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: terrorism financing,” while Abdulkadir Sani was accused of retaining N2 million from a similar source.
Zekeri Umoru, according to the charge, “without going through a financial institution accepted a cash payment of the sum of N10,000,000,” and also retained an additional N8.8 million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing.
Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim was also accused of taking possession of “the sum of N1,000,000, being part of proceeds of terrorism financing.”
The case is expected to test the Federal Government’s resolve to prosecute alleged threats to national security as proceedings begin in Abuja.
Background To The Case
In October 2025, the Federal Government cancelled a ceremonial parade initially planned to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary on October 1.
Shortly after, reports linked the decision to an alleged coup plot, though the Defence Headquarters denied any connection.
Later that month, authorities confirmed that 16 military officers had been arrested in the first week of October over the alleged plot, with two others declared at large.
By January 2026, the Defence Headquarters confirmed that there had indeed been a plan to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Director of Defence Information, Samaila Uba, stated that investigations conducted in line with military procedures uncovered the involvement of certain personnel in the alleged coup attempt, adding that those implicated would face appropriate military judicial processes.
In March, relatives of the detained officers appealed to President Tinubu to ensure that the suspects were tried openly in court.
The calls continued into April, with families staging protests at the National Assembly, demanding a speedy trial and improved access to their detained relatives.
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