Court admits statements, videos of suspected coup plotters

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday admitted statements and video recordings made by six alleged coup plotters during military interrogation as evidence against them.

The court dismissed their claims that the materials were obtained through torture, inducement and coercion.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in a ruling on a trial-within-trial, held that the Federal Government had established that the defendants voluntarily made the statements and participated in the recorded interrogations.

The judge described their allegations of duress as an afterthought, adding that there was no evidence to substantiate claims that the military subjected them to torture or used force to obtain the statements.

The defendants are retired Major General Mohammed Gana, retired Navy Captain Erasmus Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.

The Federal Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, arraigned them on April 22 on a 13-count charge bordering on treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.

The charge is marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026.

Justice Abdulmalik had ordered the trial-within-trial on May 11 after defence lawyers challenged the admissibility of the statements and video recordings tendered by the prosecution, insisting that they were not voluntarily obtained.

The objection followed the testimony of four prosecution witnesses, including an Army officer identified by the codename AAA, who tendered video recordings of the defendants’ interrogations.

Following the dismissal of the objections and admission of the materials as exhibits, the judge adjourned the case until December 7 and 10 for continuation of the trial.

Nathaniel Shaibu

Nathaniel Shaibu is a correspondent at The PUNCH with three years of professional journalism experience. He covers the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), civil society, religion, and the Ministries of Women Affairs and Youth Development. In addition to his primary beats, Nathaniel also reports on politics, metro, security, and judicial matters, bringing clarity and balance to a wide range of public-interest stories. His work reflects hands-on newsroom experience, strong beat knowledge, and a commitment to accurate, responsible journalism.