A retired naval captain standing trial over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration has admitted knowing about the plan but insisted that he repeatedly advised the suspected mastermind to abandon it.
According to Premium Times, the defendant, Erasmus Victor, reportedly told investigators that he discussed the alleged conspiracy several times with an Army colonel, Mohammed Ma’aji, but neither supported the plan nor helped to secure funding for it.
Victor, a former chairman of Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State, is one of six defendants being prosecuted before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the alleged 2025 coup plot.
His account was contained in investigation records obtained by Premium Times.
According to the records, Victor acknowledged communicating with Ma’aji through an encrypted messaging application and discussing potential financiers and appointments in a possible post-coup government.
He, however, maintained that some of the discussions were jokes and that he only pretended to cooperate while trying to discourage Ma’aji from proceeding with the alleged plan.
Security agencies began investigating the alleged conspiracy after it was uncovered in September 2025.
Investigators reportedly believe the suspects planned to assassinate Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas before seizing power.
Other alleged targets included service chiefs and senior government officials.
The suspected conspirators were also said to have been assigned responsibilities covering military operations, reconnaissance, recruitment of financiers, logistics, propaganda and spiritual consultations.
Victor is being tried alongside serving and retired military officers accused of participating in the alleged conspiracy.
In his statement, Victor traced his relationship with Ma’aji to their time at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).
He said he served as the commanding officer of the Burma Battalion while Ma’aji was his adjutant, adding that their relationship continued after they left the academy.
Victor claimed that Ma’aji became deeply frustrated after failing to secure a promotion around 2023.
“He was very devastated,” Victor reportedly told investigators.
He said he called the colonel to console him and shared his own experience of suffering a similar setback during his military career.
According to Victor, he advised Ma’aji to begin preparing for retirement rather than allow the disappointment to overwhelm him.
He alleged that Ma’aji rejected the advice and declared that he was ready to do “anything necessary,” even if it cost him his life.
Victor said he interpreted the remark as an indication that the colonel intended to organise a coup and repeatedly warned him against it.
Wike Allegedly Suggested As Financier
Victor told investigators that Ma’aji later said he needed wealthy individuals to finance the proposed operation.
According to the statement, the colonel mentioned several influential people and allegedly asked Victor to approach them.
Among those reportedly named was the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Victor, who served as Ogu/Bolo council chairman between 2018 and 2021 when Wike was Rivers State governor, said the minister was the only person on the alleged list he knew personally.
He said, “I have been a local government chairman for Ogu/Bolo LGA under Nyesom Wike, and I left office in 2021.
“He suggested I bring Nyesom Wike into the plan in order to seek funds from him.”
Victor, however, insisted that he neither contacted Wike nor approached any other person for financial support. He said he merely told Ma’aji that his efforts to secure sponsors had failed.
Victor also maintained that he was “not under compulsion to tell Col Ma’aji I was going to get him sponsors.”
There is no suggestion in the investigation records that Wike knew about or participated in the alleged plot.
The retired naval officer said he became increasingly doubtful about the seriousness of the alleged plan after Ma’aji again requested financial support following another unsuccessful promotion exercise.
“I suspected it was 419,” Victor told investigators.
He explained that he wondered whether Ma’aji was genuinely planning a coup or simply attempting to defraud wealthy individuals.
According to him, anyone who voluntarily provided money for an illegal takeover would be unlikely to report to security agencies if the money was diverted.
Victor said he therefore made no effort to secure funding, despite telling Ma’aji that he would make inquiries.
Whenever the colonel asked for an update, he allegedly replied that the prospective financiers were unwilling to participate.
Other suspects reportedly also expressed doubts about Ma’aji’s ability to raise the money and logistics required for the alleged operation.
Defendant Admits Encrypted Communications
The investigation records showed that Victor admitted using Zangi, an encrypted messaging application, to communicate with Ma’aji.
He said Ma’aji recommended the platform because it was more secure than ordinary telephone calls.
Victor claimed he downloaded the application solely to communicate with Ma’aji and another suspect, Lieutenant Colonel Shamsuddeen Bappah.
Bappah was allegedly assigned to seize the 102 Battalion in Zuma, Niger State, during the proposed takeover.
Investigators also alleged that Bappah received ₦5m on September 27, 2025, from funds pooled for the operation.
Victor said he referred to Ma’aji as “Asymmetric Officer” following the colonel’s deployment to the North-East, while Ma’aji called him “Maritime Asymetrician.”
Post-Coup Appointments Discussed
Investigators also questioned Victor about conversations involving possible appointments if the alleged coup succeeded.
Victor said one discussion took place during a meeting with Ma’aji and another officer, identified as Colonel M.M. Adamu.
According to him, Ma’aji asked what position he wanted in a proposed new government.
Victor claimed he jokingly reminded the colonel that he had previously promised to make him Chief of Staff to the President.
He said Ma’aji instead responded that he would appoint him as a minister.
Victor insisted that the discussion was not serious and did not amount to an endorsement of the alleged conspiracy.
Victor also described his conversations with Bappah, whom he identified as his former cadet at the Nigerian Defence Academy.
He said the officer regularly complained about poor salaries and working conditions in the military.
During a visit to Lagos, Bappah allegedly told Victor that he and Ma’aji were planning to overthrow the government.
Despite the disclosure, Victor admitted that he did not alert security agencies.
He maintained that he continued trying to discourage the officers rather than reporting their alleged activities.
Alleged Coup Budgeted At ₦2 Billion
Victor further told investigators that Ma’aji estimated the operation would require about ₦2bn.
He said he warned the colonel that modern communication and surveillance systems would make it difficult to conceal such an operation.
According to him, those challenges alone convinced him that the plan would fail. However, when Ma’aji later claimed to have secured funding independently, Victor admitted that he replied, “Good.”
The retired officer also acknowledged forwarding social media material described by investigators as revolutionary-themed content to Ma’aji through WhatsApp.
Although he insisted that he consistently advised against the alleged coup, Victor reportedly could not explain why he shared the material.
He maintained that his failure to report the alleged plan should not be interpreted as participation in the conspiracy.
