…dismisses objections
CITIZENS COMPASS— The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday, admitted statements and video recordings of six alleged coup plotters as evidence in their ongoing trial over an alleged plot to violently overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government.
The court, presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik dismissed objections raised by the defendants, ruling that their statements and video recordings were voluntarily obtained during military interrogations.
The judge gave the ruling following a trial-within-trial conducted to determine the voluntariness and admissibility of the evidence tendered by the Federal Government.
Justice Abdulmalik held that there was no evidence to establish that the defendants were forced, tortured or induced into making the statements and recordings.
She described their allegations of coercion as an afterthought and unbelievable, dismissing claims that the military employed force or other improper methods to obtain their alleged confessional statements.
Consequently, the judge admitted the statements and video recordings as exhibits against the defendants.
The six defendants are retired Major General Mohammed Gana, retired Navy Captain Erasmus Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.
The Federal Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, arraigned the defendants on April 22 on a 13-count charge bordering on treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, was filed on April 20 by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.
The trial-within-trial was ordered on May 11 after defence lawyers challenged the admissibility of the statements and video recordings, arguing that they were not voluntarily made.
The objection followed the testimony of four prosecution witnesses, including an army officer identified by the codename “AAA”, who tendered video recordings of the defendants’ interrogations.
Following Thursday’s ruling, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case until December 7 and 10 for continuation of trial.
