The federal government is set to arraign Timipre Sylva, a former minister of state for petroleum resources and five individuals, including two retired senior military officers and a serving police inspector, over an alleged plot to overthrow the president and destabilise the state, in a case that has intensified scrutiny of the country’s security establishment.
The defendants — retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani — are due before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik at the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Abuja.
According to a 13-count charge filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and signed by the director of public prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, the defendants face allegations ranging from conspiracy and attempted treason to terrorism financing, failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering.
Prosecutors allege that the group conspired in 2025 “to levy war against the state to overpower the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” and failed to report knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others.
They are further accused of withholding critical intelligence and failing to take reasonable steps to prevent the alleged plot. Two of the defendants — Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru — were also said to have attended meetings linked to efforts “to further a political ideology” capable of destabilising Nigeria’s constitutional order.
Financial transactions cited in the charge include an alleged ₦2m payment received by Abdulkadir Sani and ₦50m said to have been retained by Bukar Kashim Goni from accounts linked to a private firm. Umoru is accused of handling ₦10m in cash, while Ibrahim allegedly received ₦1m from the same source.
The charges were brought under provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The arraignment comes amid widening investigations into what authorities describe as a broader coup plot within military and security circles. In late 2025, the government cancelled independence day celebrations — a move later linked in some reports to security concerns, though the Defence Headquarters publicly denied any connection.
Subsequent weeks saw the arrest of at least 16 serving military officers, with others declared wanted. In January 2026, the Defence Headquarters said internal investigations had uncovered a plan to overthrow Bola Tinubu, adding that suspects would face military disciplinary proceedings.
A parallel court martial process is now expected to begin for serving personnel, including senior officers, as the military seeks to assert internal discipline while civilian courts handle the broader criminal case.
Families of detained officers have staged protests in recent months, demanding transparency, access to their relatives and a speedy trial. Some relatives said they were only recently granted access to legal counsel after months of detention.
“There is confusion over who is being tried in court and who will face military proceedings,” said Nana Usman, whose husband, a serving lieutenant colonel, is among those detained. She said the families’ primary concern was a fair and transparent process.
In Abuja, children of some of the detained officers have also held peaceful demonstrations outside the National Assembly, carrying placards calling for justice and an end to prolonged detention without trial.
Legal experts say the stakes are high. Senior advocates including Mike Ahamba and Bankole Akomolafe note that treason remains one of the gravest offences under Nigerian law, carrying the possibility of the most severe penalties if proven.
However, they stress that outcomes will depend on the specific charges established in court, with lesser offences attracting reduced sentences and full appellate rights available up to the supreme court.
As proceedings begin, the case is likely to test both the resilience of Nigeria’s legal institutions and the transparency of its security apparatus — with implications for civil-military relations and public trust in the rule of law.
