An officer of the Armed Forces of Nigeria on Wednesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja how investigators allegedly uncovered a plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, alongside financial and operational trails linking the suspects to the alleged conspiracy.
The witness, who said he serves in the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police, gave evidence in the trial of a retired major-general and five others facing 13 counts bordering on treason, terrorism, failure to disclose information and money laundering.
The defendants are Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, a retired major-general; Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, a retired navy captain; Ahmed Ibrahim, a police inspector; Zekeri Umoru, an electrician at the Presidential Villa; Bukar Kashim Goni; and Abdulkadir Sani, an Islamic cleric.
They were arraigned on 22 April, and all pleaded not guilty.
At Wednesday’s proceedings before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, the prosecution called four witnesses, including three bank officials from Jaiz Bank, SunTrust Bank and Providus Bank, who tendered correspondence with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and related account documents admitted in evidence.
The fourth witness, the Army officer, testified under protective measures granted by the court under Section 232 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), with his identity shielded from public disclosure on security grounds.
Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that protection was necessary to prevent “unnecessary attack” on the witness as the trial progresses.
Defence lawyers did not oppose the request but insisted that the identity of the witness must still be known to them for a fair hearing.
Justice Abdulmalik, however, granted full protective cover, ordering that the witness’s name be excluded from open court records.
Led in evidence, the officer told the court that intelligence reports received by the then Chief of Army Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, now Chief of Defence Staff, indicated that a serving officer, Col Mohammed Maaji, was allegedly coordinating a plot with some military personnel and civilians, including former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva.
He said the intelligence was analysed and found credible, prompting a formal investigation.
“Upon receipt of the intelligence report, it was analysed, processed and found to be credible, and the Chief of Army Staff directed our team to investigate the allegations,” he told the court.
The witness said Maaji was subsequently arrested and electronic devices recovered from him, including a Samsung Galaxy Z-series phone and a jotter allegedly containing operational plans.
According to him, the recovered materials contained names, designations and what investigators described as “structural plans for regime change.”
He added, “Inside the jotter, we found operational plans, names and designation of ranking members of the current regime as well as officers that were to be assassinated,” he said.
He further told the court that forensic examination of the phone revealed communications allegedly linking Maaji to some of the defendants and other individuals already before the court.
The officer also said investigators recovered what he described as “post-coup arrangements,” including lists of officials to be targeted and proposed structural changes to government institutions.
Under cross-examination objections, defence counsel, Muhammed Ndayako (SAN), urged the court to restrain the witness from making definitive assertions that the defendants planned to overthrow the government, arguing that such claims remain unproven.
Justice Abdulmalik, however, directed the defence to raise such issues during cross-examination or final addresses, noting that the trial must proceed without interruption.
The witness also testified that financial investigations uncovered alleged monetary transactions linking Col Maaji, some of the defendants, and former Governor Sylva.
He said a company, Purple Waves Limited, was identified as a possible conduit for funding activities under investigation.
“We found financial trails between Col Maaji, Mr Sylva and some of the defendants,” he said.
He told the court that EFCC-assisted analysis of bank records showed multiple transactions running into hundreds of millions of naira between September and October 2025.
The transactions, he said, included transfers of ₦100 million, ₦80 million, ₦70 million, ₦50 million and ₦90 million, executed on different dates within the period under review.
According to him, while the transfers carried different narrations, investigators linked them to funding of activities under probe.
He also told the court that investigators visited Green Land Apartment and Brookville Hotel in Abuja, where alleged meetings connected to the plot were said to have taken place.
The witness said hotel records, payment receipts and reservation details were recovered and admitted in evidence after objections from defence lawyers, who reserved their arguments for final addresses.
He alleged that meetings held at the locations involved discussions on “regime change,” identification of targets for assassination, and assignment of roles among participants.
He also claimed that investigators recovered receipts showing payment for rooms allegedly used for coordination meetings.
The officer further told the court that some suspects made statements before a military investigation panel and the military police, adding that the statements were video-recorded and made voluntarily.
However, when the prosecution sought to tender video recordings of the statements, defence lawyers objected, arguing that the materials were not frontloaded and that admitting them at that stage would be prejudicial.
Justice Abdulmalik noted that the prosecution admitted the documents were not frontloaded and ordered compliance with procedural requirements before adjourning the matter.
The court subsequently adjourned the trial to May 4 for continuation of the hearing.
The PUNCH