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The military has postponed the ruling in the General Court Martial hearing in the case involving some officers accused of plotting to overthrow the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The ruling, which was scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, 2026, has now been moved to Monday, October 5, 2026.
In a notice to members of the court and other parties involved in the proceedings, the military announced that the sitting earlier fixed for September 30 had been postponed.
“The GCM sitting earlier adjourned to Wednesday, 30 September, 2026, has now been postponed to Monday, 5 October, 2026,” the notice stated.
The next sitting is scheduled to begin at 10am at the Scorpion Officers’ Mess, Asokoro, Abuja.
The notice was signed by Major M.U. Ardo, the liaison officer, but did not give a reason for the latest postponement. The military, however, expressed regret over any inconvenience caused by the change.
The latest development represents the fourth time the court’s ruling has been deferred.
The ruling is expected to determine whether statements allegedly obtained from some of the accused officers can be admitted as evidence in the ongoing trial.
The issue arose after defence lawyers challenged the circumstances surrounding the statements, prompting the court to conduct a trial-within-a-trial.
During the proceedings, defence counsel alleged that some of the officers were coerced by officials of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) into making or reproducing statements containing information they disputed.
The lawyers also questioned the circumstances in which the statements were recorded, arguing that lawyers or witnesses selected by some of the accused officers were allegedly not present.
The defence further raised concerns over the alleged absence of video recordings showing the officers writing their statements in the presence of their chosen witnesses, as required under relevant provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Counsel also alleged that some of the officers were not properly cautioned or adequately informed of their rights before making the statements.
The prosecution, however, presented evidence aimed at establishing that the statements were voluntarily made and were not obtained through improper pressure.
Some of the accused officers gave contrary accounts, alleging that they were subjected to coercion, intimidation, inducement and physical abuse during their detention.
According to evidence presented before the court, some officers claimed they were made to believe that reproducing particular statements would lead to their release.
They further alleged that certain statements had already been prepared by intelligence officials and that they were compelled to copy or sign the documents despite disputing some of the information contained in them.
Some of the officers also told the court that they did not personally write or originate statements attributed to them, alleging that they were forced to reproduce pre-written documents containing claims or admissions they considered false.
The General Court Martial is presided over by Air Vice Marshal H.I. Alhaji of the Nigerian Air Force.
The proceedings are being held at the Scorpion Officers’ Mess in Asokoro, Abuja.
The court’s ruling on the admissibility of the disputed statements is expected to determine whether the prosecution can rely on them as evidence as the military trial continues.
