Six defendants pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to a 13-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations bordering on terrorism and coup plotting. The case, filed as suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, was brought by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, with Director of Public Prosecutions Rotimi Oyedepo leading the prosecution.
Proceedings began at about 1:46 p.m. but were briefly delayed after the third defendant said his counsel was indisposed and absent. The court ruled that he could enter his plea without a lawyer. The matter was then stood down again when the sixth defendant said he needed an interpreter for Arabic and Hausa, before the hearing resumed at about 2:18 p.m. and the charge was read in full. Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (retd.), Capt. Erasmus Ochegobia Victor (retd.), Insp. Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani were all arraigned, while Timipre Sylva was listed in the charge as being at large.
Count one alleges that the defendants and others conspired in 2025 in Abuja to levy war against the state in a bid to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They were also accused of failing to disclose intelligence about the alleged plot and not taking steps to stop it. After the charge was read, all six entered not guilty pleas. One defendant told the court he recognised a sum mentioned in the charge but denied it had anything to do with terrorism. Another described the money as a gift and rejected any link to a terrorist act.
The prosecution asked that the defendants be remanded in Department of State Services custody pending trial and urged the court to grant an accelerated hearing. Counsel for the first defendant, Mohammed Ndayako, applied for bail and sought a short adjournment to file the application, while also asking the court to ensure defence lawyers had adequate access to their clients in custody. The prosecution replied that the defence would not be denied access.
The case now moves to April 27, when trial is set to begin before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik. In a supplementary report, counsel for the sixth defendant, Sunusi Musa, said the DSS had been “very civil” and respected his client’s rights after the move from the Defence Intelligence Agency facility, where he claimed detainees were not allowed outside access. The court ordered the defendants to remain in DSS custody and directed that their lawyers be allowed to see them for defence preparation.
The hearing lands amid a wider political and security backdrop that has already touched the public calendar. On September 29, 2025, the federal government cancelled the parade planned for October 1 to mark Nigeria’s 65th independence anniversary, and on October 31, 2025, TheCable reported that 16 military officers had been arrested in the first week of that month over the alleged coup attempt, with two others on the run. In January 2026, the Defence Headquarters confirmed there was a plot to overthrow Tinubu. Wednesday’s arraignment puts the alleged conspiracy squarely in court, and the next answer the case must give is whether the prosecution can turn that charge sheet into proof.
