The Nigerian Government has filed a 13-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja against six individuals, including two retired senior military officers and a serving police inspector, over an alleged plot to topple the government
Penpushing reports that the defendants are retired Major General Mohammed Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani.
The alleged coupists are scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, April 22, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, for waging war against Nigeria and commit acts of terrorism, and also listed in the charge but at large as at the time of filing this report, is a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.
Penpushing further reports that, the charge, filed on Monday by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), accuses the defendants of offences ranging from treason and terrorism to failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants conspired in 2025 to levy war against the state to overpower the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
Penpushing also reports the Nigerian Government equally alleged that the defendants had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to alert authorities.
‘The defendants, knowing that a treasonable act was intended to be committed, did not give information thereof with all reasonable despatch to either the President… or a peace officer’, the charge read
Penpushing reports that the alleged coupists were also accused of failing to take preventive steps, as the charge stated that they did not use any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence.
The defendants, beyond are facing terrorism-related charges under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, prosecutors alleged that they conspired with one another to commit an act of terrorism in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Penpushing further reports that Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru were specifically accused of attending meetings linked to the alleged plot, in a bid to further a political ideology which may seriously destabilise the constitutional structure of the country.
The charge in same vein, accused the defendants of providing support for terrorism, alleging that they knowingly and indirectly rendered support to facilitate acts of terror, in addition, the prosecution alleged deliberate suppression of intelligence.
Penpushing also reports that the prosecutor added that the defendants 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.
The government on the financial aspect, emphasized that several defendants were accused of handling funds linked to terrorism financing, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Penpushing reports that Bukar Kashim Goni allegedly indirectly retained the aggregate sum of N50,000,000, which forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: terrorism financing, while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly retained N2million from a similar source.
The charge stated that Zekeri Umoru, without going through a financial institution accepted a cash payment of the sum of N10,000,000, and also retained an additional N8.8million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing.
Penpushing further reports that Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim was equally accused of taking possession of the sum of N1,000,000, being part of proceeds of terrorism financing.
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