The suspects were brought before the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Justice Joyce Abdulmalik presided over the case.

After pleading not guilty to the charges, the court ordered that they be remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services.

The remand followed a request by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, who personally handled the case in court.

The court fixed Monday for the commencement of full trial proceedings.

Before the adjournment, defence counsel led by Mohammed Ndayako urged the court to direct the DSS to allow them access to their clients to enable proper preparation for their defence, noting that the accused persons had been in detention since their arrest.

Among those named in the 13 count charge marked FHC ABJ CR 206 2026 is former Bayelsa State governor Timipre Sylva, who also served as Minister of State for Petroleum under the late Muhammadu Buhari. Sylva is currently said to be at large and was arraigned in absentia after allegedly leaving the country before details of the plot became public.

Other defendants include retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Police Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, alongside Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani.

The charges against them include treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security information, and alleged involvement in laundering funds linked to terrorism.

According to the Federal Government, the accused persons allegedly conspired in September 2025 to wage war against the state in a bid to intimidate the president, an offence punishable under Section 37 subsection 2 of the Criminal Code.

They were also accused of having prior knowledge of a planned coup involving Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failing to inform the appropriate authorities.

The prosecution further alleged that they assisted Colonel Ma’aji by not disclosing the plot to either the president or any security officer and by failing to take reasonable steps to prevent the act.

Additional allegations relate to offences under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022, including claims that the defendants conspired to carry out acts capable of destabilising the country’s constitutional order.

Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru were specifically accused of attending meetings connected to the alleged terrorist activities in pursuit of a political agenda.

The Federal Government also accused the defendants of providing support for terrorism, stating that they knowingly facilitated such acts.

In tracing financial transactions linked to the allegations, the prosecution claimed that Bukar Kashim Goni retained N50 million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing, while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly held N2 million from a similar source.

Zekeri Umoru was said to have accepted N10 million in cash without passing through a financial institution and also retained an additional N8.8 million believed to be linked to the same scheme.

Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim was also accused of receiving N1 million connected to the alleged activities.

All financial related charges were filed under the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.

Some counts in the charge stated that the defendants, knowing of plans by Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others to commit treason, failed to report the information promptly to the president or relevant authorities.

They were also accused of not taking reasonable steps to prevent the alleged offence and of conspiring to commit acts of terrorism within Nigeria.