Federal High Court Plays Videos of Defendants' Interrogations in Tinubu Coup Plot Trial

A Federal High Court in Abuja played video recordings on Tuesday of two defendants denying any knowledge of an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the trial of six men on coup-related charges continued. In one recording, Zekeri Umoru, a maintenance worker at the Presidential Villa employed by Julius Berger Nigeria, stated that he was misled into believing he was dealing with a businessman involved in legitimate work.

Umoru, one of the six facing charges, said he had no knowledge of any plan to overthrow the president and would have distanced himself if aware of anything beyond business dealings.

AllAfrica reported that Umoru described how Ahmed Ibrahim, a police inspector and co-defendant attached to the Presidential Clinic in Abuja, introduced him to Mohammed Ma'aji, a serving colonel said to be the mastermind of the coup attempt exposed in September last year.

Umoru said he initially believed Ma'aji was a civilian businessman offering electrical work and received cash payments running into millions of naira from Ibrahim and Ma'aji during meetings. In the video, Umoru detailed specific payments, including between N100,000 and N120,000 given to him and others at a gathering at Tiger Bar after Ma'aji bought drinks.

8 million, followed by another N2 million the next day on 25 September 2025. Umoru said he became uncomfortable with the repeated payments and asked Ibrahim for an explanation. According to Umoru, Ibrahim told him that Ma'aji was unhappy with the state of the country and planned to sanitise the government with support from others, with discussions about using an ambulance driver to gain access to the Presidential Villa and expectations of financial reward.