The Nigerian military has commenced a General Court-Martial to try officers accused of plotting a coup to remove the President Bola Tinubu government from office unconstitutionally.
Penpushing reports that the accused officers were on Friday brought to the venue of the sitting, the Guards Brigade Scorpion Mess, Asokoro, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT)at about 8:53 a.m. under tight security.
The suspected coupists were brought to the venue in a “Marcopolo” luxurious bus, however, the military authorities denied journalists access to the courtroom as proceedings commenced behind closed doors, while several civil lawyers were observed arriving at the venue ahead of the inauguration, suggesting the presence of legal representatives for the accused.
Penpushing further reports that the sitting signals the beginning of the military’s internal trial process following months of investigation into the alleged plot, while it would be recalled that in October 2025, about 16 serving military personnel, comprising senior and junior officers, were arrested over alleged acts of indiscipline.
The military authorities, however, established that some of the officers had cases to answer, bordering on an alleged attempt to overthrow the country’s constitutionally elected government, leading to the decision to subject them to court-martial.
Penpushing also reports that in a related development, the Nigerian Government had earlier arraigned several civilian suspects and retired military personnel before a Federal High Court in Abuja over the same coup plot allegations.
The defendants, including a retired Major General and a serving police officer, were charged with offences bordering on treason and terrorism, while they all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Penpushing reports that the court subsequently ordered their remand in custody pending the hearing of their bail applications, however, the parallel proceedings underscore the dual-track approach, with serving military personnel facing court-martial, while civilians and retired officers are being tried in civilian courts.
Meanwhile, as at the time of filing this reports details of the court-martial proceedings were not immediately available.
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