Alleged coup: FG files treason charges against ex-gov Sylva, Gen Gana, 5 others

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The Federal Government has filed a 13-count charge against former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, a retired Major General, a retired Naval Captain, a serving police inspector and three others for their alleged involvement in a coup plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.

Other defendants in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026 are Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (retd), Navy Captain Erasmus Victor (retd), Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.

According to reliable sources, the defendants are scheduled to be arraigned today before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court.

The charge, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo, accused the defendants of offences, ranging from treason and terrorism to failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.

They were basically charged by the prosecution for conspiring in 2025 to wage war against Nigeria and commit acts of terrorism.

According to the charge, they conspired with one another to wage war against the state to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.

The prosecution further alleged that the defendants had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act, involving Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others, but failed to alert the authorities.

The charge stated that, “they, knowing that and intended to commit treason, did not give the information thereof with all reasonable dispatch to either the President or a Peace Officer.”

In a related count, the defendants were also accused of failing to take preventive steps, as they allegedly did not use any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence.

Beyond treason, the Federal Government is prosecuting the defendants for terrorism-related offences under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The charge alleged that they conspired with one another to commit an act of terrorism in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In Particular, Inspector Ibrahim and Umoru are accused of participating in meetings tied to terrorist activities.

Prosecutors claimed they acted “in a bid to further a political ideology which may seriously destabilise the constitutional structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The charge also accused the defendants of providing support for terrorism, alleging that they knowingly and indirectly, rendered support to facilitate acts of terror.

In addition, the prosecution alleged a deliberate suppression of intelligence, stating that the defendants “had information which would be of material assistance in preventing the commission of the act of terrorism, but failed to disclose the information to the relevant agency as soon as practicable.”

The case further traced financial transactions allegedly linked to terrorism financing, with multiple defendants accused of handling the proceeds of unlawful activities.

Bukar Kashim Goni is alleged to have “indirectly retained an aggregate sum of N50 million which forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: terrorism financing,” while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly retained N2 million from a similar source.

Umoru, according to the charge, without going through a financial institution, accepted a cash payment of N10million and also retained an additional N8.8 million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing.

Inspector Ibrahim was also accused of taking possession of N1 million linked to the same alleged scheme.

All financial-related counts were brought under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.