Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva alongside two retired senior military officers and a serving police inspector, will be arriagned today before the Federal High Court in Abuja, over an alleged plot to overthrow the President.
The former Bayelsa Governor who is still on the run and other defendants — retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani— are billed to appear before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
The defendants are facing 13 counts bordering on conspiracy, attempt to commit treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence, financing terrorism and money laundering.
The charge, filed on Monday by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), accused them of offences ranging from alleged attempts to overthrow the government to terrorism-related financing.
According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly conspired in 2025 “to levy war against the state to overpower the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
They are also accused of failing to report alleged knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others.
The government further alleged that the defendants “knowing that a treasonable act was intended to be committed, did not give information thereof with all reasonable despatch to either the President… or a Peace Officer.”
They were also accused of failing to prevent the alleged offence, stating that they “did not use any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence.”
Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru were also accused of attending meetings allegedly linked to the plot “in a bid to further a political ideology which may seriously destabilise the constitutional structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The charge further alleged that the defendants “knowingly and indirectly, rendered support” for acts of terrorism and also failed to disclose critical intelligence to security agencies.
Abdulkadir Sani was accused of receiving N2m on September 23, 2025, while Bukar Kashim Goni allegedly retained N50m from accounts linked to A & A Express Link Concept.
Zekeri Umoru was also accused of receiving N10m cash from Colonel Ma’aji and retaining N8.8m in his account, while Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim allegedly received N1m from the same source.
The offences, according to the charge, contravene Sections 37(2), 40(b), 26(1), 2(3)(d), 12(a), 13(1)(a), and 16(1)(a)(b) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as well as provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Meanwhile, the PUNCH gathered that the military has set up a court martial to try serving personnel allegedly implicated in the case.
The serving military personnel reportedly detained are Brig Gen M. A. Sadiq, Col M. A. Maaji, Lt Col S. Bappah, Lt Col A. A. Hayatu, Lt Col P. Dangnap, Lt Col M. Almakura, Maj A. J. Ibrahim, Maj M. M. Jiddah, Maj M. A. Usman, Maj D. Yusuf, Capt I. Bello, Capt A. A. Yusuf, Lt S. S. Felix, Lt Cdr D. B. Abdullahi, Sqn Ldr S. B. Adamu and Maj I. Dauda.
Reliable sources confirmed that the panel will be constituted today to begin proceedings.
It was also gathered that detained officers have, for the first time since their arrest, been granted access to their lawyers.
