By Yahaya Umar, Abuja
Federal Government will today arraign seven suspects including two retired military officers, a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva among others for an alleged 2025 plot to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu.
AljazirahNigeria reports that Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation filed a 13-count charge of treason, terrorism, and money laundering before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, was entered April 20 by Director of Public Prosecutions Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.
Named in the charge are Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana ,retd, Navy Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor ,retd, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani as well as Sylva listed as “at large”.
Prosecutors allege the group conspired in 2025 “to levy war against the state to overthrow the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, an offence under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
They alleged that the defendants knew of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but “did not give the information thereof with all reasonable despatch to either the President or a Peace Officer”. A related count says they “did not use any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence”.
Beyond treason, the charge invokes the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The AGF alleges the defendants “conspired with one another to commit an act of terrorism” and that Inspector Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru attended meetings “in a bid to further a political ideology which may seriously destabilise the constitutional structure” of Nigeria.
Besides, the charge cites suppression of intelligence: the defendants allegedly “had information which would be of material assistance in preventing the commission of the act of terrorism but failed to disclose the information to the relevant agency as soon as practicable”.
Financial counts under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, allege terrorism financing. Bukar Goni is accused of retaining N50 million “which forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: terrorism financing”, Abdulkadir Sani allegedly retained N2 million from a similar source.
Zekeri Umoru is accused of accepting a N10 million cash payment “without going through a financial institution” and retaining another N8.8 million suspected to be terrorism proceeds. Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim allegedly took possession of N1 million linked to the scheme.
The prosecution describes the case as “a coordinated network involving security personnel, civilians, and a politically exposed individual, allegedly connected to activities threatening national security”.
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