By Jane Okafor, Abuja
The Federal Government has filed a 13-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against six individuals—including two retired senior military officers and a serving police inspector—over an alleged plot to wage war against Nigeria and carry out acts of terrorism.
Those charged are retired Major General Mohammed Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani. They are expected to be arraigned on Wednesday, April 22, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
Also named in the charge but currently at large is former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.
The charge, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by Director of Public Prosecutions Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), accuses the defendants of offences ranging from treason and terrorism to failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering tied to terrorism financing.
Prosecutors allege the defendants conspired in 2025 “to levy war against the state to overpower the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
They were further accused of having prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others, but failing to alert authorities.
According to 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,” and “did not use any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence.”
Beyond treason, they face terrorism-related charges under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, with prosecutors alleging they “conspired with one another to commit an act of terrorism” in Nigeria.
Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru were specifically accused of attending meetings linked to the alleged plot, “in a bid to further a political ideology which may seriously destabilise the constitutional structure” of the country.
The charge also alleges the defendants “knowingly and indirectly rendered support” to facilitate acts of terror, and deliberately suppressed intelligence that could have prevented the plot.
On the financial side, several defendants were accused of handling funds linked to terrorism financing in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Bukar Kashim Goni allegedly retained N50 million traced to terrorism financing, while Abdulkadir Sani is accused of holding N2 million from a similar source. Zekeri Umoru allegedly accepted N10 million in cash outside formal financial channels and retained an additional N8.8 million, while Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim is accused of taking possession of N1 million linked to the same scheme.
The case adds to a string of developments surrounding an alleged coup plot. In October 2025, the Federal Government cancelled Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary parade, sparking speculation of a looming coup—claims the Defence Headquarters initially dismissed.
Later that month, authorities confirmed the arrest of 16 military officers over the alleged plot, with more suspects declared at large. By January 2026, the Defence Headquarters acknowledged that a plan to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had indeed been uncovered.
As investigations deepened, families of detained officers demanded open trials and access to their relatives, staging protests in Abuja and at the National Assembly in April.
Proceedings in the Abuja court are now set to test the government’s resolve to prosecute alleged threats to national security.
