Six Face Accelerated Treason Trial Amid New Coup Allegations

The Federal High Court on Wednesday started an expedited hearing in the trial of six men charged with involvement in an alleged plot to overthrow the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The prosecution opened its case with four witnesses, including a member of the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police (NACMP) who testified under protection and was identified only as “AAA.”

He told the court that he was part of the investigative team set up after the then Chief of Army Staff, General O.O. Oluyede, received intelligence reports that Colonel M.A. Ma’aji and others were plotting to topple the government.

The investigation was a combined effort of the Nigerian Army and the Department of State Services (DSS) that led to the arrest of the six suspects now on trial.

Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the witness confirmed that he knew the six defendants.

The witness said he knew the defendants, whom he said were arrested in connection with the coup plot involving Col. Ma’aji, some other servicing military officers and civilians.

On getting the intelligence report by the then COAS, it was analysed, processed and found to be credible, before he (the COAS) gave a directive to his team to investigate the allegations in the report, he said.

The witness said his team proceeded to arrest Col Ma’aji, recovered his Samsung Galaxy phone, conducted search in his residence and recovered a jotter among other items.

The notebook also contained operational plans, names and designations of ranking members of the current regime, as well as officers who were to be assassinated during the course of the coup, he said.

The witness said: “Inside the jotter, we also found information on political and structural changes that were going to be made upon the execution of the coup.

“The result of the forensic analysis on the phone recovered from Col. Ma’aji, disclosed elaborate plans and links between Col Ma’aji, some of the officers involved in the plot and the defendants,” he said.

“We also found financial trails between Ma’aji, former Governor Timipre Sylva and some of the defendants here before the court,” the witness added.

“Also, we found code words in the phone known to the plotters, including some of the defendants before this court.

He said: “We also tracked down financial trails between some of the defendants and Col. M. A. Ma’aji. Some of the defendants were paid money to further the coup plot.”

The witness added further that they came across a company called Purple Wave in the course of investigation, which he claimed “is one of the companies used as a conduit to sponsor the coup plot.”

He said his team also discovered the financial records of Purple Wave, which he later examined when he was given a copy of the company’s account statement earlier tendered in evidence by the prosecution.

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), the agency that investigated the financial transactions provided the financial records of the company, he said.

Oyedepo thereafter led the witness through the account statement of Purple Wave in which he identified how funds were allegedly disbursed for the purpose of the alleged coup.

The witness said two entries dated September 19, 2025 showed a debit transaction of N100m and another debit transaction of N50m.

He said on September 22, 2025, there were two debit transactions of N100m and N50m; on September 24, 2025, N100m and N50m; on September 26, 2025, N80m; on September 29, 2025, N70m; on September 30, 2025, N90m and on October 2, 2025, N90m.

The witness said, although the transactions carried narrations of what the funds were meant for, investigation showed that the money was used for the coup plot.

He said the first debit entry of N100m, described as part payment for clearing of debris along the coastal corridor to Purpose Wave, was not used for that purpose, but dispensed in pursuit of the coup plot, investigators discovered.

The witness said his team found out that several meetings were held in the course of the plot to overthrow the present government in places including Green Land Apartment and BrookVille Hotel in Abuja

His team also found that anti-government rhetoric was exchanged in the meetings, he said. “They talked about negative things about the government and said that there is a need for a regime change.”

The witness said the alleged plotters drew up a plan for the execution of the coup and identified key officers in the government and also identified the officers who will assassinate them.

He said the alleged coup plotters also identified key targets to be attacked, including the Niger barracks where senior military officers live, adding that there were also plans to take over some key roads and streets when the coup was being executed.

“The plotters also fixed appointments among themselves, including agencies to be established and those to be merged after the coup.

“There was extensive consultation and divination, in which some of the defendants participated, knowing that a coup was in progress. They were paid to do these things.

“They also bought vehicles that were recovered from shops where vehicles were being retrofitted for kinetic purposes.”

“They saw the hotels and the rooms and spaces where the meetings were held in the course of investigation,” he said. “We also recovered receipts used for payment for hotel reservations.

At that point, Oyedepo filed to tender a letter from BrookVille Hotel and attached the documents, the payment receipts inclusive.

Lawyers to the defendants objected to the admissibility of the documents, but said they would give reasons at the final address stage, after which Justice Joyce Abdulmalik admitted the documents in evidence.

The court also admitted in evidence extracts of the phone recovered from Col. Ma’aji which was tendered by Oyedepo.

The witness said the defendants volunteered written statements before the special investive panel set up, adding that the statement taking sessions were also audio visually recorded.

He said they also made voluntary written statements before the Military Police which was also captured on video.

The witness said Abdulkadir Sani (the sixth defendant), who was the last to be arrested, did not make his statement before the special investigative panel but before the Military Police.

Oyedepo later made an attempt to tender in evidence a flash drive containing the audio and visual recordings of the statement taking sessions, which was opposed by the lawyers to the defendants.

Paul Erokoro (SAN), one of the defence counsel, had objected on the ground that the device was not front loaded, a claim Oyedepo conceded, which made the judge insist that the prosecution must serve the defence with the audio visual recordings before they could be played in court.

Earlier, the prosecution called two Compliance Officers of Jaiz Bank and SunTrust Bank. It also called in a Legal Officer from Providus Bank.

The prosecution through the first witness, Munahura Anas, a Compliance Officer with Jaiz Bank, tendered documents l, being statement of account in respect of an account belonging to the sixth defendant, Abdulkadir Sani.

It tendered through the second witness, Taiwo Adeola Wellington, a Compliance Officer with SunTrust Bank documents relating to an accountant maintained by Purple Wave Ltd.

The prosecution also tendered through the third witness for the day, Gideon Elijah, a Legal Officer from Providus Bank, documents including account statement relating to an account owned by a firm, A & A Express Link.

The defence lawyers cross-examined the first three bank witnesses.

Further hearing in the case was adjourned till May 4 and 5 at 11 am when the fourth prosecution witness will continue his testimony.