The federal government has filed a 13-count charge before the federal high court in Abuja against alleged plotters of a coup to oust President Bola Tinubu.

Among the suspects are a retired major general, a retired naval captain, a serving police inspector and three others.

The defendants are accused of waging a war against Nigeria and committing acts bordering on treason and terrorism.

In October 2025, the federal government announced the cancellation of a parade earlier scheduled to celebrate the country’s 65th independence anniversary on October 1.

Days later, there were reports that the cancellation of the independence anniversary event was linked to an alleged coup attempt.

However, the DHQ dismissed the reports, insisting that the cancellation had no links to the alleged coup attempt.

On October 31, 2025, TheCable reported that 16 military officers were arrested in the first week of the month over the alleged coup attempt, while two other officers were on the run.

In January 2026, the defence headquarters (DHQ) confirmed that there was a plot to overthrow Tinubu.

Samaila Uba, the DHQ director of defence information, had said investigations conducted in line with established military procedures found some personnel involved in a coup plot.

Uba had said the officers would be arraigned before relevant military judicial panels.

In March, family members of military officers detained over an alleged coup plot appealed to Tinubu to allow the suspects to be tried in an open court.

During a press conference in Abuja, wives and other family members of the detained officers also requested access to the alleged coup masterminds.

In April, families of the detained military officers protested at the entrance of the national assembly to demand a speedy trial and access to their relatives.

DEFENDANTS

The defendants in the case are Timipre Sylva, a former minister of state for petroleum resources; Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, a retired major general; Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, a retired captain; and Ahmed Ibrahim, a police inspector.

Others are Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.

The alleged coup plotters are expected to be arraigned before Joyce Abdulmalik, a judge at the federal high court in Abuja, on April 22.

The 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.

In the charge sheet, the federal government accused the defendants of treason and terrorism and failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.

The federal government alleged that the defendants conspired with one another to “levy war against the state to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

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 to wit: terrorism financing”, while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly retained N2 million from a similar source.

Umoru was alleged to have “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.

Ibrahim, the police inspector, was also accused of taking possession of N1 million linked to the same alleged scheme.

Ibrahim and Umoru were 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.”