The Federal Government has filed a 13-count charge before a Federal High Court, Abuja against a retired Major General, a retired Naval Captain, a former minister, a serving police Inspector, and three others over an alleged coup plot to overthrow the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal Government of Nigeria and acts of terrorism.
This is preparatory to their arraignment on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, by the Federal Government.
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice filed the charges 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, 2026 by Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.
Those named in the charge included retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Navy Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani as well as former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, who is presently “at large.”
The prosecutors alleged that the group conspired in 2025 “to levy war against the state to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
The Federal Government also claimed 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 states that 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 further alleged that 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.
The charge also cited suppression of intelligence, stating that 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.
Similarly, while referencing financial counts under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, the AGF alleged terrorism financing.
Bukar Goni is particularly accused of retaining N50 million which formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: terrorism financing while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly retained N2 million from a similar source.
In the same vein, Zekeri Umoru is being 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 while Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim allegedly took possession of N1 million linked to the same scheme.
The prosecution described the case as “a coordinated network involving security personnel, civilians, and a politically exposed individual, allegedly connected to activities threatening national security.”
No plea has been entered yet in the arraignment that has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, 2026 before Justice Abdulmalik in Abuja.
Meanwhile, at the centre of the case is an allegation that the defendants conspired in 2025 to undermine the Nigerian state as they allegedly conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overthrow the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence punishable under Section 37 subsection 2 of the Criminal Code.
Beyond treason, the Federal Government is also prosecuting the defendants for terrorism-related offences under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
