Accelerated Hearing: Tribunal Fast-Tracks Case Against Six Defendants Probed by Military, Secret Service

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors launched their case against four witnesses in the expedited trial of six individuals accused of conspiring to overthrow the government led by President Bola Tinubu.

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The first witness, a soldier from the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police, testified about the discovery of the alleged coup plot and the subsequent findings of investigators, while his identity was protected and referred to as "AAA".

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Under the guidance of Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation Rotimi Oyedepo, the witness confirmed his acquaintance with the six defendants, including Col. M. A. Ma’aji, other serving military officers, and civilians, all of whom were arrested in connection with the coup plot.

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According to the witness, the then Chief of Army Staff, General O. O. Oluyede, received an intelligence report about the alleged plot, which was then analyzed, processed, and deemed credible, prompting an investigation into the allegations.

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The witness's team arrested Col. Ma’aji, seized his Samsung Galaxy phone, and conducted a search of his residence, uncovering a jotter containing operational plans, names, and designations of high-ranking government officials, as well as officers targeted for assassination during the coup.

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The jotter also contained information about planned political and structural changes to be implemented after the coup, according to the witness.

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Forensic analysis of Col. Ma’aji's phone revealed elaborate plans and connections between Ma’aji, other officers involved in the plot, and the defendants, the witness testified.

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The investigation also uncovered financial trails between Ma’aji, former Governor Timipre Sylva, and some of the defendants, as well as code words used by the plotters, including some of the defendants.

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Additionally, the witness stated that money was paid to some of the defendants as part of the coup plot, and financial trails were observed between some of the defendants and Col. M. A. Ma’aji.

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The witness identified a company called Purple Wave as a conduit used to sponsor the coup plot, and his team obtained the company's financial records from the Economic and Financial Crime Commission.

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Oyedepo presented the witness with Purple Wave's account statement, which showed several debit transactions, including N100m and N50m on September 19, 2025, and similar transactions on September 22, 24, 26, 29, and 30, 2025, as well as October 2, 2025.

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Although the transactions had narrations describing their purpose, the investigation revealed that the funds were actually used for the coup plot, the witness said.

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The witness's team discovered that several meetings were held in pursuit of the plot at locations such as Green Land Apartment and BrookVille Hotel in Abuja, where anti-government rhetoric was exchanged and plans for the coup were discussed.

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The alleged plotters identified key government officials to be targeted, including those living in the Niger barracks, and planned to attack certain roads and streets during the coup, according to the witness.

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The plotters also shared appointments among themselves, including proposed agencies to be established and merged after the coup, and some defendants participated in consultations and divination related to the plot, receiving money for these purposes.

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The witness stated that vehicles were purchased and recovered from shops where they were being retrofitted for kinetic purposes, and receipts for hotel reservations were also recovered.

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Oyedepo tendered a letter from BrookVille Hotel and attached documents, including payment receipts, which were admitted into evidence after the defense lawyers objected to their admissibility.

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The witness also testified that the defendants provided written statements before a special investigative panel and the Military Police, which were audio-visually recorded.

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Oyedepo applied to tender a flash drive containing the recordings, but the defense lawyers objected, prompting the judge to order the prosecution to serve the defense with the recordings before they could be played in court.

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Earlier, the prosecution called three witnesses from banks, including Munahura Anas from Jaiz Bank, Taiwo Adeola Wellington from SunTrust Bank, and Gideon Elijah from Providus Bank, who testified and were cross-examined by the defense lawyers.

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The prosecution tendered various documents through these witnesses, including account statements and documents related to the defendants and Purple Wave Ltd.

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The case has been adjourned until May 4 and 5 at 11 am, when the fourth prosecution witness will resume his testimony.