Nigeria Charges Six With Terrorism And Treason Over Alleged Coup Plot Against President Bola Tinubu

Nigeria charged six people with terrorism and treason over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, according to documents filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

“Nigerian authorities have charged six people, including a retired major-general and a serving police inspector, with “terrorism” and treason, over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, according to documents filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja”

Al Jazeera

The six were all in custody on Tuesday, while a seventh suspect, former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva, was still at large, the Al Jazeera report said.

Al Jazeera

The BBC said the charges were filed by the Attorney General at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where the defendants were due to appear before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on Wednesday.

The Associated Press, as carried by The Killeen Daily Herald, said a charge sheet seen by the AP stated that the six were in custody and that Sylva was accused of helping to conceal the plot.

France 24, also citing the AP, likewise said Nigeria charged six people with terrorism and treason over an alleged coup attempt intended to overthrow Tinubu.

Across the coverage, prosecutors described a 13-count charge sheet, with the suspects accused of conspiring “to levy war against the state to overawe the president of the Federal Republic.”

The BBC added that the court papers suggested the coup plot was led by Col Mohammed Alhassan Ma'aji, who was arrested along with other accomplices.

The alleged coup plot first surfaced in October 2025 when the government cancelled a planned military parade to mark Nigeria's 65th Independence Anniversary, according to the BBC.

At the time, officials cited security threats, but the BBC said speculation quickly linked the cancellation to a possible coup plot.

BBC

Al Jazeera reported that the government had initially denied the existence of the alleged coup before announcing in January that the military would try several officers for planning “to overthrow the government”.

The BBC said the military denied the suggestion after the parade cancellation, but in January announced that 16 officers were to be tried before a military court for attempting to oust the president.

Al Jazeera described those 16 officers as part of a group arrested in 2025 over “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations,” which prompted rumours of a coup plot that was initially denied by the government.

Shortly after denying the alleged coup plot, President Tinubu reshuffled the country’s top military generals, Al Jazeera reported.

The BBC also said it was unclear whether the High Court charges filed by the Attorney General were in addition to the military prosecutions.

The Killeen Daily Herald and WTOP, both drawing on the AP charge sheet, similarly said the government first said it had foiled a coup attempt in January when it announced that several military officers would stand trial.

The charge sheets named multiple defendants, including retired major general Mohammed Ibrahim Gana and retired Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, with the BBC listing them among those charged.

“- Published Six people in Nigeria, including a retired major general and a serving police inspector, have been charged with treason for attempting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu in a coup last year”

BBC

The BBC also named Ahmed Ibrahim as a police inspector, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni described as an electrician working at the Presidential Villa, and Abdulkadir Sani as a civilian, along with an Islamic cleric.

Al Jazeera listed the six by name as retired Major-General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.

MyJoyOnline likewise described the group as including “a retired major general and a serving police inspector,” and it said the Attorney General filed a 13-count charge sheet naming Mohammed Ibrahim Gana and Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, plus Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru.

MyJoyOnline said the defendants were scheduled to appear before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on Wednesday, matching the BBC’s timeline.

In the court documents, prosecutors said the suspects “conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe the president of the Federal Republic,” and MyJoyOnline quoted that language directly.

MyJoyOnline further said prosecutors alleged the group “conspired with one another to commit an act of terrorism.”

The BBC added that prosecutors alleged the defendants had prior knowledge of Col Mohammed Alhassan Ma'aji's “treasonable act,” but failed to inform authorities, and it said the charges included suppression of intelligence and money laundering.

Timipre Sylva was named as a seventh suspect in the case, but the BBC said the court documents stated he was still at large.

Al Jazeera described Sylva as former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva, accused of helping to conceal the plot, and it said he was still at large while the six were in custody.

Devdiscourse

The BBC said Sylva denied links to a coup plot after his house was ransacked by investigators last October.

It added that an arrest warrant was issued for him the following month in a separate case launched by the country's anti-corruption.

The BBC reported that at the time his spokesman said the former minister was in the UK for a medical check-up and said the allegations were politically motivated.

MyJoyOnline similarly said authorities accused Sylva of helping to conceal the plot and that he remains at large.

MyJoyOnline also said prosecutors asserted that the defendants had prior knowledge of the “treasonable act” planned by the alleged mastermind, Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji, but failed to inform the state.

The Killeen Daily Herald and WTOP both said Sylva was accused of helping to conceal the plot and remained at large, with the six in custody.

The case was framed as carrying weight for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with MyJoyOnline describing Nigeria’s stability as “the cornerstone of West African security.”

“Nigeria charges six people with treason for plan to overthrow president Nigeria on Tuesday charged six people with terrorism and treason over an alleged coup attempt intended to overthrow President Bola Tinubu”

France 24

MyJoyOnline said the internal crisis carries significant weight for ECOWAS and referenced neighbours like Ghana in that context.

France 24

It also connected the legal battle to a wider pattern of constitutional upheaval and security crises across West and Central Africa, citing coups and attempted coups in Benin and Guinea-Bissau late last year.

Al Jazeera similarly said the alleged coup plot came after a surge in coups and attempted coups in West and Central Africa, naming Benin and Guinea-Bissau late last year.

The BBC said Nigeria has experienced a period of unbroken civilian rule since 1999, and it noted that the armed forces have consistently stressed their loyalty to civilian authority.

In the BBC’s account, under Nigerian law treason is one of the most serious criminal offences and can attract severe penalties, including life imprisonment.

MyJoyOnline echoed that treason “remains a premier criminal offence carrying penalties as severe as life imprisonment.”

The Killeen Daily Herald and WTOP, both using the AP charge sheet, also described Nigeria’s five coups in the 20th century and its transition to democracy in 1999, placing the alleged plot within a longer history of coups and attempted coups.