By Jane Okafor, Abuja
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday remanded six defendants in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) after they were arraigned on a 13-count charge bordering on alleged terrorism.
At proceedings which began at about 1:46 p.m., the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), told the court that the charge was ready and sought permission for it to be read to the defendants.
The session was briefly stalled when the third defendant informed the court that his counsel was indisposed, while counsel to the sixth defendant said his client understood only Arabic and Hausa, prompting the court to stand down the matter to secure an interpreter.
When the court reconvened at about 2:18 p.m., all six defendants entered their pleas, denying the allegations and pleading not guilty to the 13 counts.
Following the arraignment, the prosecution applied for their remand in DSS custody and urged the court to grant an accelerated hearing. The request was not opposed by most defence counsel, although counsel to the first defendant indicated plans to file a bail application.
In a ruling, the trial judge granted an accelerated hearing, ordered that the defendants be remanded in DSS custody with access to their lawyers, and adjourned the case to April 27, 2026, for the commencement of trial.
The Daily Crucible reports that on Monday, April 20, the Federal Government, in a charge filed at the court registry, accused a retired Major General of the Nigerian Army, Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, of involvement in a failed coup plot against incumbent President Bola Tinubu—an act that could have plunged the country into war.
In the charge dated April 20, 2026, and signed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the Federal Government also accused the suspects of sharing over N71 million among themselves for the purpose of financing terrorism.
According to the charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, other defendants include retired Naval Captain Erasmus Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani.
Also named in the charge, but currently at large, is a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.
The Federal Government accused the defendants of offences ranging from alleged treason and terrorism to failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
The prosecution alleged that 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.
According to the charge, the defendants had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to alert authorities.
Furthermore, the defendants were accused of, while “knowing that a treasonable act was intended to be committed, [failing to] give information thereof with all reasonable despatch to either the President… or a peace officer.”
They were also accused of failing to take preventive steps and “did not use any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence.”
