Two defendants admit knowledge of coup attempt against Tinubu in video recordings

Two defendants admit knowledge of coup attempt against Tinubu in video recordings

Two of the six defendants standing trial over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu admitted on Monday that they knew about the alleged coup plot.

The defendants made the admission in video recordings played at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The recordings, contained in a hard drive presented by the prosecution, captured separate interview sessions with three defendants – Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, a retired Navy captain, Ahmed Ibrahim, a police inspector, and Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, a retired major-general.

In the footage, Mr Victor and Mr Ibrahim admitted they were aware of the alleged plot but did not report it. Mr Gana denied any knowledge.

The remaining defendants, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani, were not featured in the video playback.

Recalled that the federal government filed 13 counts of treason, terrorism, failure to disclose information, and money laundering against the six defendants accused of being part of an alleged conapiracy to topple the President Bola Tinubu administration.

Their trial began on Wednesday, with the prosecution calling four witnesses.

Three witnesses drawn from Jaiz Bank, SunTrust Bank, and Providus Bank tendered letters obtained from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and responses from their respective institutions.

The fourth witness, an army officer identified as by codename AAA for security reasons, told the court how investigators allegedly uncovered the plot and traced financial and operational links between the suspects.

Led in evidence by prosecution lawyer Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), AAA said the defendants made statements before a special investigation panel and before the military police.

He said the statements were recorded on video and made voluntarily.

He added that all defendants except one appeared before the panel.

Mr Oyedepo then applied to tender the video recordings as evidence on Monday.

However, alongside other objections, lawyer to the second defendant, Paul Erokoro, also a SAN, objected to the document presented in support of the video recording. He argued that it was not frontloaded.

Mr Oyedepo admitted during proceedings that it had not been frontloaded when the judge, JouceAbdulmalik, asked.

This prompted the judge to order him to comply with procedural requirements and adjourned the matter until Monday, 4 May.

What the defendants said in the video

During Monday’s proceedings, the court gave permission to the prosecution to play video recordings of interviews.

In his session, Mr Victor, the retired Navy captain, said he knew the alleged mastermind, M. A. Ma’aji, a serving colonel, and was aware of discussions about overthrowing the government.

He said the officer complained about stalled promotion and expressed anger at the system. Mr Victor said he advised him against such a move.

He also admitted he was asked to provide financial support, help raise funds, and assist in securing accommodation for the plotters, with a promise of an appointment if the plan succeeded.

Mr Victor said he declined involvement but maintained communication through a secure messaging platform where coded language was used. He said he did not take part in any operation.

He admitted he failed to report the plot due to his relationship with the principal suspect and expressed regrets.

Mr Ibrahim, a police inspector attached to the State House, said he was first approached to help facilitate the officer’s promotion. He said discussions later shifted to plans to overthrow the government.

He admitted receiving between N1.4 million and N1.5 million and taking part in reconnaissance around the Presidential Villa, including Aguda House.

He said he took photographs of parts of the villa and discussed possible access routes. He also confirmed that terms such as “fertiliser” and “farming” were used as code for funding and the operation.

Mr Ibrahim said his actions stemmed from poor judgment linked to his relationship with the suspect. He added that he did not believe the plan could succeed.

However, Mr Gana denied any involvement. He said he retired from the Nigerian Army in 2010 and had lived a quiet life since then.

He admitted knowing Mr Ma’aji and said he was aware that the officer had issues with promotion. He said he did not know of any coup plan and would have reported it if he did.

Mr Gana also said investigators linked him to a N2 million transfer. He admitted forwarding a coup speech and some anti-government messages on WhatsApp but said he did not originate them.

He denied taking part in reconnaissance or efforts to raise funds.

Dispute over evidence

At the start of each session, investigators told the defendants that the interviews were being recorded in line with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

They said the recordings were meant to ensure statements were made voluntarily without coercion. They also informed the defendants of their right to remain silent.

However, the defence lawyers maintained that the statements were not voluntary.

The defence lawyers argued that their clients did not make the statements voluntarily and opposed playing them before formal admission as evidence.

The trial judge allowed the videos to be played despite objections by defence lawyers.

But Ms Abdulmalik overruled the objections. She said the court would conduct a trial-within-trial to determine whether the statements were voluntary.

Ms Abdulmalik adjourned further hearing until Tuesday, 5 May.