The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, October 5, 2026, admitted in evidence, exhibits tendered by the Federal Government against six persons accused of complicity in an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration through a coup d’état.
Among the proof of evidence admitted were extrajudicial statements made by the defendants before a Special Investigation Panel and military police authorities.
Those on trial over the alleged coup are retired Maj-Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim Gana; Naval-Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor (rtd); a serving Police Inspector, Ahmed Ibrahim; and three others: Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.
They were brought to court on a 13-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026.
The defendants had challenged the admissibility of their statements on the premise that they were not made voluntarily, but through coercion, in violation of sections the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
The defence team further contended that their clients were denied the right to legal representation during their interrogation, insisting that there were discrepancies between the video recordings and the defendants’ written statements.
Although the prosecution urged the court to dismiss the objections, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered a trial-within-trial to ascertain the voluntariness of the extrajudicial statements sought to be tendered.
The issue arose while the fourth prosecution witness was testifying.
Delivering the ruling on Thursday, Justice Abdulmalik held that the defendants failed to establish their allegation that they were coerced into making confessional statements.
The court described the defendants’ claim that they spoke under duress as an afterthought, and dismissed their allegations of torture.
