Bolatito Mercy
Zaria-based Islamic cleric Abdulkadir Sani told a Federal High Court in Abuja that he warned the alleged coup plotters their plan would fail and insisted he was not part of it.
Sani is one of six defendants on trial over an alleged plot to topple President Bola Tinubu’s government. The others are retired Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Capt. Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, police inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Presidential Villa electrician Zekeri Umoru, and cleric Bukar Kashim Goni. The case is before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
In a video played in court on May 11, Sani said he received money strictly for prayers, not to support a coup. He said he learned of the plot but didn’t report it because he didn’t know who to approach. He was arrested after his bank account was restricted while he tried to withdraw part of the funds. He said he later went to the EFCC voluntarily, clarified the source of the money, and denied being tortured or coerced.
The prosecution sought to tender extrajudicial statements and video recordings obtained from all six defendants by a Special Investigation Panel and military police. Defence lawyers objected, arguing the statements were obtained in violation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015. They cited denial of legal representation, coercion, inducement, and discrepancies between the written statements and video evidence.
Justice Abdulmalik ordered a joint trial-within-trial to determine whether the statements were made voluntarily and are admissible. The prosecution had urged a single proceeding; defence counsel Olalekan Ojo SAN had asked for separate trials for each defendant. The judge ruled for one joint trial.
The case was adjourned to May 12, 2026, for the trial-within-trial to begin. The six men face 13 counts including treason, terrorism, failure to disclose information, and money laundering. The prosecution has called three witnesses so far.
